Rebel
by ExtraOrdinary.dreamer
Summary: AU Sakura's a rebel with a heart. Everyone hates her based on lies. When she goes to Amber Academy, the truth she knows unravels, & relationships are forged. Will she become the perfect heir to the throne? Time for the ultimate test. SS, ET, MOC
1. Chapter 1

Okay, many people enjoyed Leading Trouble, so both me and Ice thought this might be a huge turn around

Disclaimer: I never will own CCS . . . but I can wish!

**Chapter 1**

She was always loyal, always brave. Her parents were murdered on her 13th birthday by the nastiest person in the kingdom (AKA her mother's sister's sister-in-law), her friends disappeared from the face of Earth after she was captured and sent to jail, and her relatives? Only two of her closest, immediate family is still alive—besides the nastiest person in the universe—bailed on her and disappeared. But, Sakura couldn't blame them. But, she would blame her aunt's father for moving her best friend and her other beloved aunt far, far away into a obscure region in Avalon Kingdom after news of her (framed) homicide reached his orthodox ears.

Everything that she did that was good was supposedly evil. No orphanages accepted her donated money, rape victims called the police when she helped them, as well as held-up stores. Everyone thinks she's a brilliant evil mastermind all because of her stupid relative—but she's not going to try to dispel the brilliant part because that is true. She is brilliant even without any education. The nastiest person _ever_ bloody framed Sakura for her parent's murder, when she was the one who really did it.

She was the rightful heir to the Avalon Kingdom, instead a girl—a female with no wits whatsoever—will be replacing her. They wanted a _lady _to represent the kingdom, not a murderer. Sakura scoffed at the notion of her killing her parents, why would she? Her parents were her best friends and very, very caring. Only idiots would think she had killed her parents! 'The entire kingdom is filled with idiots. They don't trust me because they're idiotic and I don't trust them because they're idiots,' Sakura thought as she walked through a deserted alleyway.

A familiar gruesome sting of blood, yelling, bitterness, and rust hit her like a tornado.

She ran.

So far, no one had ever managed to catch her. She is the most wanted rebel in the kingdom; whoever caught her will receive a _lot_ of money.

'I've never been caught—NEVER, now here I am in a courtroom,' she thought while staring out of the courtroom's window, remembering the needle-like arms of officers pinching her arms, trying to handy-cuff her, a gun's barrel on her back, threats, where else she was to tired to fight back. If she was strong enough, she could have disarmed all of those fools and ended this "game" in three seconds flat, but five boys and girls age of 8, and were taught to hate her, even as a rebel she was not heartless she would never harm little kids, they threw rocks and beated her with sticks, she still did not hurt them. So, when she was captured she didn't (nor could she actually) fight back. Sakura flashed an ice-cold death glare at the officer that caused everyone to shiver

"All rise for Judge Sonomi Daidouji," the officer commanded her.

When she heard that name her breath got stuck in her throat. She couldn't believe her eyes as the regal judge walked across the room. 'Why, oh, why out of all the judges in the kingdom it has to be HER!' Sakura frantically thought. Even stoic and cold Sakura was gulping inside now.

"Kinomoto," Sonomi, her once—and maybe still—beloved aunt motioned her to come forward.

Sakura walked up—not that the shaking was visible to anyone—to the podium.

The judge stared at her and said. "Kinomoto, your sentence in prison will be—."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry for such a short chapter, so I'll give you a longer story here

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS

**Chapter 2 **

". . . Nothing."

Everyone in the courtroom gasped. This-this wanted person that was rumored to have killed millions of people in the kingdom is getting of the hook? That's crazy!

Meanwhile everyone else was shocked; all Sakura could feel were thousand of pricks running throughout her body. She felt nauseous; she reached for something—anything—to steady herself, but all she touched was air with her trembling hands. What was going to happen to her? Was she going to be executed? Sakura forced herself to look back at the judge

"I read your requisition," the judge began to speak again. "It seems to be you have had a lot of backstabbing in your life and all of your cases have lack of mens rea and are quite hypothetical," the cropped hair judge flipped through the packet on her desk, her glasses sliding down to the bridge of her knows. "I have talked with Avalon officials and your position as our throne heir is now officially restored." Everyone gasped; this was amazing. This ungraceful girl is actually going to become the heir to the throne.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, what was Sonomi trying to play? Sakura felt her defense system fixing into gear; her eyes went dry, her hands clenched forcefully, her back arched and her legs tensed, ready to bolt at first unfavorable word.

The judge leaned over to the detective that had arrested Sakura and whispered into his ear. Sakura knew it wasn't good for her because the detective's eyes went as huge as saucers and his mouth dropped to an 'o.'

The judge straightened and spoke into the microphone: "Kinomoto, for now you will be given a room in the building. Case closed," Without another word, the judge slapped a pile of papers onto the podium and shoved them into her briefcase and walked out.

Sakura bored her eyes into the judge's back wishing that she could burn a hole through the very flesh and blood of that traitor. She couldn't hate the daughter of the judge, but she could very well hate the traitor herself—who decided to listen to her unfaithful husband instead of the member of the blood line that took her in when she had nowhere else to run, hide, or cry.

An officer grabbed her arms roughly and forcefully pushed her towards the door. Sakura glared at him, her eyes narrowing. She growled in a low voice "Get your hands off me."

The officer made a small 'eep' sound that was dangerously close to a squeak and immediately removed his disgusting hands from Sakura's arms. Sakura blew a strand of auburn hair from her eyes and tossed the officer her patented _look_.

"That's your room," He pointed to a room in the deserted hallway; everyone had already left in a hurry to get away from this freaky outlaw.

Sakura jerked her body from him and walked over to the room and tried the doorknob. She tossed him her patented _look._ "Idiot, how the hell am I supposed to get in?"

"Judge Daidouji didn't give me any keys so I suppose you have to stay out here tonight." The officer gave triumphant look.

Sakura gave him a knowing look.

"That's what you think." Sakura reached for a wristband on her right wrist, on the black velvet laid about twenty different pins secured to the band. She slowly took out a pin and jammed the pin into the lock and wiggled it around a bit and the door opened with a snap.

"Ha," she mouthed to the astounded officer as she walked inside of the room—he and his team tried to open that lock for about five years and still couldn't open it!

Sakura gaped at the room, why did Sonomi give her such a beautiful room? She was an outlaw! And, besides, why would that traitor even care? She gave a low whistle as she stepped into the room. Then she glared at the officer indicating "leave or else you'll be walking home crippled today." The officer left in a hurry to get away from this wickedly weird rebel.

Sakura wandered around the room and stopped at the window. She sat herself onto the window seat and gazed out of the window.

She whispered in a ghastly, dry voice. "Where are you Renalia, my dear, dear aunt? Why did you betray me?" She gave a haunting, dry laugh as she trailed her finger down the smooth glass and suddenly the fear that swirled in her when the judge said she wasn't going to jail came back. The fear was as paralyzing as it was foreign. Sakura was always in control of herself, she hated this fear because of the reason that it makes her feel insecure.

Sakura felt a wet salty tear slide down her dirt stained face that she had been sporting all week; she touched her now wet check. She was shocked. _What is happening to me? I think my memory is resurfacing. Oh, bloody hell. My mind won't let me forget, but I really don't want to remember right after seeing Sonomi_. Sakura cursed in her unbending mind.

She didn't want to experience the same fresh memory imprinted in her mind again, the same experience that made her break down every time she felt the same old fear swirling inside of her. She hugged her legs close to her, letting the blank part of her mind squash the memory. It didn't work, the same face that haunted her nightmares bursted into her mind, giving her the full view of a several pale faces with glassy eyes.

Darkness smothered her vision.

Sakura propped her elbow with her hand. She frowned as she stared at the rolling hills speeded past her field of vision. Where was she going? If she was going to go to a foreign place to be placed to death to, she had the right to know where she was going.

"Where in bloody hell are you taking me?" Sakura hissed. She was fed up with trying to get this detective to spill.

"After I captured you," the detective crowed. "The judge decided that you will be going to _Amber Academy_."

"What the fuck?"

"You'll see when we get there."

Sakura knew that he wouldn't talk anymore, and since her legs were bound with chains and her hands handcuffed, there wasn't much she couldn't do. Unless you count threatening him her eyes only worked which only worked when he turned around, which was, like, never.

They suddenly stopped, throwing Sakura completely off balance; her head hit the side of the car door, her legs jerked up into an awkward position. The detective sneered at her, "You actually think I would place a seat belt on you, bitch," he spat in her face.

Sakura had to keep all she had in her power to keep from yelling every single curse word she knew in his face. She bit her tongue down, she felt bitter blood rushing from her tongue, and she swallowed the blood. Sakura grimaced the familiar rust-filled taste. 

The detective picked her up bridal style, and walked down to a gigantic 1-story pink stone building, that was surrounded by lush, green grass and exquisitely beautiful gardens with cream walkways. He carried her into the building.

Prim and proper princesses, all wearing variations of a Victorian Era dress, stared at the chain-bound girl wearing . . . pants?! Ohmigod! Oh, and a uniformed detective carrying a gun and her.

A boy surrounded by shadows stared at the girl with fading auburn hair and a pale moonlight face with emerald eyes that were hallow, and extremely sorrowful with his own unusual eyes. His lips curled up into a smirk. This girl was exactly who he was looking for. "Father, I will scar your former wife's last family member to avenge and make you proud," He whispered under his breath.

Looking at Sakura seemed to be a very popular sport. She sure made one heck of a grand entrance.

A beautiful woman with wavy brown hair spilled around her shoulders stood under the shade of a majestic oak tree. Intelligent amethyst eyes followed Sakura across the courtyard secretly.

"Put me down!" Sakura yelled as the detective laid her down on a bed in a dorm room.

The detective quietly untied her from her bounds, she almost killed him the second he released her arms and legs from the chains.

"Calm down," he sneered. "Let's get you cleaned up." He pointed around the room. "Get purty, then you go to room 500. If you don't, I'll make sure you get killed tonight."

The detective left the room.

Sakura rubbed her wrists and ankles. The bruises had bruises had begun to swell. She looked around the dorm room; it was nice. "I guess I'll be living here for now on."

She decided she might as well follow the detective's orders since she didn't want to be killed tonight. She walked into the walk-in closet, there were different clothes spanning the colors of the rainbow everywhere. No jeans though.

"Figures," Sakura snorted. She then chose an outfit and altered it so that it was the closest to her style. Ah, the wonders a pair of scissors could do.

"Hmm, I'll make due." She applied some mascara and left the dorm. She walked into a room with a cream door with the numbers 500 stamped on it in gold.

A tall, stick-straight woman with her hair in a tight knot, and wearing an old-fashioned dress, frowned and shook her head disapprovingly at Sakura's outfit and hair, which is in a messy bun.

Sakura had shredded off the sleeves of a black silk gown with a corset front to turn it into like a tank top, and her own loosely crocheted emerald green sweater was thrown over it, and the ball-gown skirt was shortened to just above knee-length length. She'd learned a thing or two from her fashion addicted childhood friend, who is the judge's insane daughter. She had found a pair of red satin round-toe pumps, and amazingly could walk in them.

Sakura was amused by the woman's shocked face because, seriously, she usually wore mid-thigh shorts. She wasn't a slut; they were just easier to move in without having to wear a skirt. Out in the world as a rebel; no skirts were a general rule that all female outlaws knew.

Sakura smirked and walked to the front and slapped down the files that the detective left her with. The woman's mouth formed a 'o' as she read the formal paperwork.

Another woman swept into the room. Sakura narrowed her eyes as she slowly critiqued the woman clad in royal blue. She dressed and held herself regally. She was obviously the headmistress.

Sakura had been raised to learn the subtle art of identification. She was detail-oriented and could learn things—fast—by one tiny detail or gesture. How else do you think she taught herself martial arts and gymnastics just from watching the performances her parents and her would go to when they were still alive?

The woman shivered as she introduced Sakura to the other teachers there. "This is Sakura Kinomoto, she has decided to grace her outlaw self with us."

The headmistress smoothly cut in, "Hello Sakura, I am Headmistress Gracia," she shook Sakura's hand and turned to the teachers. "Sonomi Daidouji, the famous judge, said that she would be no trouble so do not worry."

While Gracia was reassuring the teachers of Sakura's aunt's decision, Sakura studied Gracia's features more carefully. She nearly laughed, Gracia looked so much like a headmistress—the top ranking position, in a top ranking academy—that she almost looked royal; Gracia could be Sakura's distant, distant long-lost cousin of her mother!

There were a few exceptions, her hair wasn't as wild and curly as Sakura's but still had a slight wave, and was more brown than auburn. Gracia's features were also a bit too soft, and not delicately sharp as Sakura's, but still very beautiful. Her eyes were also much narrower than Sakura's large emerald eyes. She looked more like Sonomi or Tomoyo.

Miss Ineal, bring her to Miss Isaki's class, on the way please tell her what _Amber Academy _does."

Miss Ineal shivered as she walked Sakura out of the room. "Amber Academy hoards hundreds of people from kingdoms all over Desiree Dimension; the academy teaches the basics of roles spanning from become future king-or-queen and to members of a royal family; such as what you are expected to do as a martial arts trainer, or tutor. You will be treated with respect since you'll be the heir to the Avalon throne—the major kingdom in the Dimension other than the Li Kingdom, your schedule will be handed in Miss Isaki's class."

"Al right, here's Miss Isaki's room." Miss Ineal pushed Sakura into the room. It was like an office. Sakura smiled a smile that dripped sarcastic sweetness, and told Miss Isaki her name. Miss Isaki seemed to fear her as well. Miss Isaki handed Sakura her schedule with a frozen white face. Sakura looked down at her schedule and bit her full bottom lip as she read it.

**Academy Starts at 7:00 am**

Breakfast 7:35 -8:00 am

Social Hour, 8:05-8:25 am

1. Sewing, Miss Isaki, 8:30-9:40 am

2. Clothing Appraises, Miss Ineal, 9:45-10:55 am

3. Politics and History with the Princes, Master Fronck 11:00 am

4. Minor Martial arts, Headmistress, 11:05-12:30 pm

Lunch 12:35-1:05 pm

5. Gymnastics and Dance, Miss Sakkie, 1:10-1:50 pm

6. Language and Elements of Literature, Miss Uki, 1:55-2:10 pm

7. Instruments/Song, Miss Nobie, 2:15-3:10pm

8. Savior with Princes, Master Fronck, 3:15-4:15 pm

9. Math/Mechanics with Princes, Master Desde, 4:20-5:00 pm

Social Hour and Dinner, 5:10 -6:05 pm

10. Magic, Headmistress, 6:10 pm-7:00 pm

**Sleep by Midnight or risk expulsion**


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry everyone for the looong wait

Disclaimer: I don't own CCS. I never will. 

**Chapter Three**

Sakura woke up to the pounding of raindrops outside her window.

She got up slowly and wearily looked out the window. She placed her right hand on the frosty window and dragged her index, middle and ring fingers down the window and shivered. It was freezing.

She went to her closet and threw on a pair of black jeans and a green sweater over a black tanktop. The headmistress had a shipment of jeans sent in especially for Sakura, but told her after the first week she _had _to wear dresses.

The headmistress was pretty nice; Sakura knew that the headmistress was going to be someone she could trust here. Not that she was going to start rambling about her past to the headmistress or anything of that sort, but she could trust her.

She looked at the grandfather clock in her room it had just then struck 4 am.

It was early. Way too early for classes to begin or to even have breakfast.

Sakura got a tour of the entire academy yesterday and decided to head to the training field where the princes' train and the princesses learn how to dance.

She opened her dorm door and sneaked out, the rain drops hit her face and the stench of a murky water drifted from the pond nearby. She was already drenched—and Sakura had only been out for 2 minutes so far! _I guess this was my punishment for sneaking out to the training room. _

She didn't want to catch a cold so ended pumping her legs faster but that just ended her up getting a stitch at her side. She shuffled to the heavy ornate doors, with her hand on her side and pushed her way in.

She was still awe-struck by the training center.

It was basically a huge round circle of white stone with grass surrounding it, and benches in the grass. But the most special thing about the indoor outside training center were the small jewels were scattered everywhere on the white cement.

'These jewels were special since they actually pick out your magic and strength and separate it from the big mass of magic and strength so you will see how strong you actually are. It can make someone extremely powerful.

You will be here for politics, martial arts, magic 411, and gymnastics with dance. All your classes with Miss Ineal will be in classroom 500. I will tell you who is going to help you through all your other classes in Politics. All the other princes' and princesses your age will have the same schedule you have so don't worry if you get lost or you lose your helper.'

Sakura had to keep herself from laughing hysterically at that announcement. Uh huh—yeah, right. There's no way these prissy snobs would help a "murderer" like herself!

Sakura broke her walk. In front of her was an amber-eyed boy with messy brown hair, a sapphire-eyed boy with messy blue hair sword-fighting and a black-haired girl sitting on one of the marble benches.

Sakura hesitated and then approached them cautiously. She still had a _very _excruciatingly hard time trusting people after her framed homicide fiasco where everyone went for blood. But, oh well. She needed to train or else she'll be very bored until it was time to go to breakfast—which was in 2 hours.

"Um, hi?" Sakura approached them with visible ease and an invisible wrecking ball of nervousness.

The girl lifted her head; the boys just kept on fighting.

The girl's amethyst eyes widened in disbelief. She almost dropped her camcorder,

"Sakura!" she squealed.

Sakura was dumbstruck.

She just stood there with her mouth gaping wide open. There was no way that this gorgeous, young woman was her childhood friend—and that she remembered pitiful, little Sakura! But, alas, it was her and she did remember Sakura.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS**

**Special Dedication: Thanks to my fellow editor/writer/dreamer; xXHoneyPunchXx.**

**Chapter 4**

The black-haired girl ran around the boys that were sword-fighting to her long lost best friend and they hugged for what seemed like a long time…to the boys anyway.

Tomoyo broke away from Sakura. She saw the boys, who were staring at them like were a pair of psychos. "Oh, I'm sorry. Eriol, this is Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura, this is Eriol Hiiragizawa."

"Pleasure to meet you," The blue haired boy said, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura replied. She shook hands with Eriol, who was seriously starting to creep her out with his wide Cheshire-cat like smile.

"Syaoran, this is Sakura. Sakura, this is Syaoran Li."

"Hi," Sakura said. She didn't hold out her hand. She sensed that Syaoran was a not exactly mister nice-nice.

Syaoran stood there for a second and just nodded as if in approval.

"Syaoran buddy, shake hands with her." Eriol advised.

"I know what you do." Syaoran snarled.

Sakura's face slowly slid into a smirk which sort of shocked the three.

"Don't worry, I didn't even offer it to him. So, really, who cares?" She raised an eyebrow and shrugged both slim shoulders that were being uncovered by the fast-slipping emerald sweater.

Syaoran snarled again, his eyes wild with annoyance and . . . something else. Sakura raised her other eyebrow, not impressed at all.

He lost. Syaoran tapped Eriol on the shoulder and they continued sword fighting.

Tomoyo sat back down and pulled Sakura down on the set beside her.

"Hey Sakura, why did you come to Amber Academy?" Tomoyo asked.

"You know those stupid rumors that your father heard when he moved you away? More and more people thought I was going insane and becoming a mass murderer after I supposedly," She put air quotations around 'supposedly' and rolled her eyes, "murdered my mom, dad, and brother—whom I love to death—and they kicked me off the throne. But now that I'm nearing the age of eighteen, I'll be getting the throne soon. Permanently. Your mother knew I would never murder someone but I will attack so she knew those rumors were wrong and apparently sent me here since she thought I would turn into a lady and the kingdom would accept me." Sakura explained.

"Oh," Tomoyo nodded in understanding. "But don't you need to marry another kingdom heir in order to go on the throne?"

Sakura snorted. "Not in my case—even if it is the longest tradition in ."

Then Tomoyo pointed down to the ground behind the bench. "There's my first love. My video camera."

Sakura snickered, "So true. I remember when you use to practically torture me—oh, wait, you did torture me—with that thing." The two girls both laughed and Syaoran lost his concentration, so he stopped as did Eriol.

"What's so funny, Tomoyo?" Eriol asked.

"Nothing," Tomoyo lied while her eyes shift around nervously, even as Sakura practically fell on the floor laughing at Tomoyo's horrible lying.

"Tell. Or you will be tickled." Eriol explained advancing on her, hands at the ready.

Sakura stood up. "Tickle her and face me," she threatened jokingly.

"Okay, I accept your challenge."

"You're going to battle a princess? But that's against the rules." Tomoyo said shocked.

"I don't mind," Sakura shrugged and got into position.

Eriol raised an eyebrow. "You're brave."

"Being called mass murderer, running from prosecutors and fighting them have their uses." Sakura said running up and throwing out a spin kick. Eriol wasn't expecting that and was knocked straight to the floor Sakura threw out her leg and kicked 3 well-aimed kicks towards his stomach.

Syaoran stood apart from the action and observed Sakura's battle ability. He whistled lowly, damn the girl wasn't kidding. She has a fighting fire. She would be fun to fight, Syaoran mused as he watched Sakura kick Eriol's ass.

"OW, OW, OW! YOU WIN!" Eriol yelped.

"Thank you." Sakura helped Eriol to his feet and curtsied.

Tomoyo yelled. "And cut!" She held up her beloved video camera with a grin at the fact she got away with video-taping untouchable Eriol and Syaoran.

Syaoran coldly glared at her. He hated being video taped. Sakura ducked beneath a curtain of hair, blocking her face with her arm. She hated being video taped, since it only led to bad things when she was running on the streets. Syaoran sheathed his sword and decided to talk to Sakura so Eriol would get a chance to flirt with Tomoyo.

"Oh. So you have been taping the entire time?" Eriol asked with a playful voice.

"YEP! Don't tickle me!" Tomoyo screeched.

Sakura felt a shadow block her out, she lowered her arm, and saw a tall stature in front of her. She pushed her hair back. Syaoran sat down besides her, "I'm guessing you hate being video taped as much as I love it?"

"Yeah."

"You don't like talking either, do you?"

"Nope—at least not with you and you're a hypocrite if you find that shocking." Syaoran smirked at her right-on announcement. "No, I don't find that shocking. It's quite true in matter of fact. I just don't trust people that easily." He shrugged.

Eriol gave her a look and started chasing Tomoyo around the training room.

"Tomoyo, it's not long till breakfast." Sakura called out as she checked her waterproof watch.

Eriol stopped tickling Tomoyo. Sakura quickly turned away with a gagging face while Syaoran just stared at his buddy.

"What?" Eriol said as he caught up with Syaoran, holding their sheathed swords, as they walked behind the girls on the way to the cafeteria.

"Uh, nothing." Syaoran snatched his sword from Eriol, who shrugged.

Tomoyo asked to Sakura, "What are you having?"

"Water—the nectar of the gods."

Syaoran snickered at her statement, because laughing at her wonderful sarcasm gave him permission to stare at Sakura which he was exercising freely. So much, that he looked at Sakura with the fascination of a scientist waiting for an experiment to do anything. She was hot, there's no denying that. Much hotter than any of the other girls the Elders have tried setting him up with to marry into the Li Kingdom. But, she was intriguing in other ways besides her charming looks.

"You like her, don't you? I heard you chatting her up with your charming personality," Eriol asked with his patented grin.

"What? I can't help if I stare at her, she's cute." Syaoran tore his eyes away from Sakura.

Eriol shook his head in disappointment. Syaoran wasn't easily pleased with looks and even harder to please with attitude. "Dude, she's has the same attitude as YOU—that's freaking IMPOSSIBLE. She's one in the ENTIRE DIMENSION!!"

Sakura turned to face Syaoran and Eriol. Syaoran and Eriol flashed cheesy innocent-like smiles in her direction. Sakura shrugged, unconvinced, and turned around.

Eriol hissed, "Get to know her better. She's an awesome girl I bet."

Syaoran loved his loyal freak-of-a-cousin, but this was just annoying . . . but, Eriol did know his taste down to his favorite hair color on girls, maybe he should get to know her better? Hmm, maybe. He flicked one last glance in Sakura's direction and then went back to selecting his plateful of food. Then decided to attack Eriol once they pulled up a seat, "What about you and Tomoyo? I thought you were going to ask her out last week." He smirked.

"This isn't about me," Eriol insisted with a burning face. "This is about you not having a Queen to your throne because you are too picky."

"Whatever you say," Syaoran started stuffing his face. A raven-haired girl with sparkling ruby eyes entered the room and came upon them being the only ones in the room currently. "Hey cuz," She pushed Syaoran out of chair. "HEY!" Syaoran protested. Meiling ignored him and acknowledged Eriol.

"What are you doing?" Sakura tried to free herself from Tomoyo's tugging hand on her wrist.

"You're sitting with us."

"What? No! I can't talk to Syaoran, his cousin, or Eriol!"

"Too late. You'll learn." Tomoyo forced her into the chair next to Syaoran, and sat across to the table next to Meiling and began conversing with her best friend. (Sakura's her best childhood friend, but it has been a while, so Sakura will be upped to best friend status after a couple of months.)

Sakura studied Meiling and Syaoran with the same fascination Syaoran scrutinized her. They really were cousins—creepily similar though Sakura already liked Meiling better than Syaoran.

Syaoran tipped his chair back as he once again began studying Sakura.

Meiling face forward to grab a salt shaker . . . and instead got the shock of her life when she turned face to face with the biggest outlaw in the entire dimension. "Kinomoto?" Her forehead crinkled as she confusedly stared at Sakura.

Sakura smiled wryly. "Yep, well, at least I never have to introduce myself since I'm so bloody famous." She took a swing of frosted cold water. Meiling laughed at Sakura's introduction.

Meiling looked in Syaoran direction, where he was still looking at Sakura, then instantly turned back to Eriol after being caught. Eriol and Meiling shared smirks.

Meiling laughed. "Syao was checking you out!" and blatantly pointed in Syaoran's direction.

Sakura leaned forward, and trailed her fingers up Syaoran's arm in a flirting fashion. A flush slowly but noticeably beginning to pool in Syaoran's cheeks. He finally looked at her, Sakura smiled. "I'm flattered," she cooed while she drilled holes into Syaoran's darkening eyes, she then proceeded to steal a greasy fried chip off his plate. Syaoran gaped at her.

Eriol, Meiling, and Tomoyo laughed and high-fived each other. They have never seen Syaoran go so crazy for a girl he's just met (even though it's barely noticeable.) Sakura grinned and batted her lashes innocently while she crunched down into the wavy potato chip. Syaoran had to give in at that, and started laughing with them.

After the laughter died down, Sakura laid down her timetable "Here's my schedule." Eriol and Syaoran didn't even bother to look at it, since _all _the females have the same three classes with the princes; Politics/History, Savior, Math/Mechanics.

"I have the same thing as you. The sewing teacher is horrible. Don't make an incorrect stitch Sakura, she will send you to the heads office" Tomoyo explained, rolling her eyes.

"I second that. Only difference is our dance and sewing classes are switched. You're lucky to have Tomoyo in your class. She's a fucking sewing genius and that's good because Miss Isaki is fucking evil sewing genius," Meiling patted her mouth corner with the napkin primly.

"Oh, now I understand what is up with your kimono—you have dance in two hours." Sakura said in understanding as she looked at Meiling's red traditional kimono-like Avalon Kingdom dancing attire.

"Oh, I know that Miss Isaki's an evil genius she gave me my schedule with her face set in stone—and I know Tomo's a 'fucking sewing genius,' who do you think used to be her mannequin?" She raised an eyebrow.

Meiling started laughing. "Seriously? Why didn't you come earlier so you could have saved me some torturous hours of being her live mannequin!"

"Does she videotape you too?" Sakura asked.

"Um, no, thank god. That's the boy's job."

"People, I'm right here, show some heart!" Tomoyo leaned forward and snapped frantically in the space between Sakura and Meiling trying to get their attention.

_Eriol is so mysterious, he reminds me of someone I've seen before. But who? _Sakura tried looked around Syaoran to see silent Eriol.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Syaoran asked with his eyebrow rose.

"Why do you keep staring at _me_?" Sakura countered. "And I'm trying to see Eriol, and the eyebrow thing is my move, don't steal it babe."

"Babe? I'm honored, glad one more girl thinks of me that way."

"Good. I'm glad you are glad that you think you are a babe which I only say because I say it to everybody so I can manipulate them into doing what I want."

"Yeah, good for you." Syaoran lost again. Sigh, poor him.

Meiling and Tomoyo hid their grins behind their napkins at the big, bad Syaoran going down because of infamous Sakura Kinomoto. Life should be fun from now on. Eriol didn't even bother trying to hide his amusement; he tilted his head back and cackled.

"He talks—well rather laughs!" Sakura clapped her hands enthusiastically from sarcasm.

"I think she just insulted you," Meiling pointed her spoon lethally at Eriol. Eriol ducked when the spoon predictably flew out of her hand towards him.

He came up when he felt it was safe. He groaned when he realized Meiling stole his unused spoon. "I needed that!" He protested, his glasses flashing with annoyance.

"Too bad!"

"For a nurse who's taking four advanced classes in the prestigious-only-for-princes medical centre of Amber Academy, you sure are klutzy."

Meiling waved her spoon threateningly, "What did you say?"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, nothing."

"Here," Sakura picked up her spoon and flicked her wrist, sending it flying towards Eriol. Eriol caught it with ease and smiled brightly.

"Thank you Sakura. See," Now _he _pointed lethally at Meiling, "Now that's a nice girl."

"Who would want to be that?" Meiling scuffed as she tilted back, letting the sunlight wash over her face in comfort and didn't notice Eriol stealing a bread roll from her plate.

"Since I feel so sorry about beating you in another round of insult game, I will compliment you. That's nice sheathing you have on your sword," Sakura noted, hungrily eyeing Syaoran's sword that was sheathed in the finest covering ever made.

"Do you want to see the actual sword—it looks much nicer than its covering," Syaoran teased as he picked up the sword and handed it to Sakura.

Sakura's eyes lit up as she examined the sheath more closely.

Eriol, Tomoyo and Meiling exchanged glances.

The sword was a treasure to Syaoran as it was a family heirloom that was restored by his deceased father for his tenth birthday. Seeing him give it to Sakura, a rumoured mass murderer and a stranger, just proved their theory that Syaoran liked Sakura.

Sakura gingerly withdrew the sword from the sheath. It was a beautiful sword. "Finest sword metal right?" She asked, while looking at the sword in awe.

"Yes," Syaoran confirmed proudly.

"After all, nothing but the best for the Li Kingdom's heir," Eriol jumped in.

"Yeah, I know he's the Li Kingdom's heir. Easy enough, after all there are the famous amber Li eyes and the last name."

"True enough. All Li males have amber eyes," Syaoran agreed.

"It's an awesome sword," Sakura gave the sword back to its rightful owner. "Though, I prefer daggers myself."

Eriol and Syaoran leaned forward with interest.

"Why?" Meiling loved daggers as well.

"Hmmm, well because," Sakura paused as she picked her words out carefully. "Daggers let me use agility and flexibility better," Sakura said slowly. "What's your favourite weapon, Eriol?"

"Me?" Eriol was surprised at the abrupt subject change to him but pondered. "I like swords too. But, I love and am the best at using staffs."

Sakura cocked her head to the side. "Really?" Everyone knew that staffs require some extreme magic for sure—only incredible sorcerers can wield them without dying from the amount of magic needed.

Syaoran glared at Eriol.

Sakura shrugged and looked at Syaoran thoughtfully. "Weird, my mother told me that a fortune teller told her once when she was my age that a (what's Nadeshiko's maiden name? Insert here) would marry into the Li royal family but she proved that teller wrong by marrying my father. Hey, we are both going to take throne soon—well, you sooner than me—maybe we'll get married! After all, I'm an evolved (N's maiden name) and you are a royal Li!" She laughed at the kooky prediction she made. Syaoran laughed too but wondered if that wild fantasy just might come true.

"And I'll just be a lowly lady-in-waiting," Tomoyo grinned as she stirred her coffee.

"At least you'll have someone nice for your boss also known as Sakura—I have to help train whiny Syaoran's friggin' army with Eriol!"

While Meiling argued with Syaoran about his whiny-ness, Sakura couldn't help but wonder—was she finally fitting in?

And nice? Nobody called her nice, mostly evil (and what a bland word that was) and the most shocking thing was that it happened inside _Amber Academy _of all places! She was actually getting along with people and not kicking their asses for once. It was a miracle—or she's just met people at the right time and place who doesn't judge her immediately from rumours. It was refreshing to know that there are still decent people in the Dimension that still has strong personalities.

A long hollow echo issued around the Academy. It was breakfast time. People started filing into the cafeteria.

"Oh, no Sakura!" Tomoyo gasped, but was too late to stop Sakura from tossing her lunch.

Syaoran got up and snagged his arm around Sakura's waist at a lightning fast pace. Sakura struggled to turn towards Syaoran, "What're you doing?" She shot him a glare as she struggled uncomfortably to free herself.

"Trust me," He pulled her head towards his chest, "It's for your own good." He didn't let her complain any more as he walked her out. The others scurried behind Syaoran's lightning-fast pace.


	5. Chapter 5

Sakura quietly walked down the hallway, ignoring pointing fingers and gasps "OMG, that's the Sakura Kinomoto

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything besides plot. **

**Chapter 5**

Sakura pulled away from Syaoran, the blood thumping in her ears for being so close to male that didn't want to either rape or kill her. She quickly contorted her blushing firey red face into a death glare. "What was that for?"

"You could thank me," Syaoran glared right back, folding his arms across his chest.

"For what?!" Sakura shot back.

"You do realize people here are probably going to think you are mass murderer and freak?! I was saving you from spells that could probably turn you to a hideous, disgusting puddle of glop!!" Syaoran explained heatedly. "After all, just take a look around you." He said, quieting down.

Sakura, for the first time after they exited the cafeteria, noticed the crowd of curious lining the hallway, openly pointing fingers at her and gasping "OMG, that's _the _Sakura Kinomoto!" It was like she's a famous celebrity—which is the utter opposite of her situation.

"Oh. Kay . . ." Sakura trailed off as she sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Thanks."

"And—hold on, what, thanks?" Syaoran exclaimed in confusion. For someone who was completely passionate, opinionated, and strong—it seemed wrong that Sakura would just say thanks for someone who tried to take care of her.

"Got a problem with that?" Sakura directed it to both Syaoran and a gossiping group of girls laughing at her black jeans, while they were wearing ridiculous peacock headdresses. Her dark, stormy face gave them the decency to shut their mouths quickly.

"I appreciate the warning. But don't do it again, I can take care of myself." Sakura returned her attention to Syaoran, a warning unfurling at the edges of her lips.

Syaoran sighed; he was afraid Sakura was already losing some her edge when she had only been in Amber Academy for a couple of hours. "That sounds more your style."

He smiled.

"You've only known me for a couple of hours, and you already know my 'style'?" Sakura raised her eyebrow.

Syaoran mimicked her with his eyebrow.

Sakura cracked a smile and then followed Meiling to a quiet corridor where no one was there except for them.

"Thank you," Sakura sighed.

"Eh, I'm used to it." Meiling grinned. "Remember when Eriol and I came to Amber Academy to the first time?" She asked Syaoran and Tomoyo.

"It was interesting," Tomoyo laughed nervously.

Syaoran sniggered in his palm, "I'm not surprised it didn't work out," he said.

Sakura felt excluded again. Another group secret that she will probably never find out. She forced a smile on her face, but it just fought the aura of loneliness drifting around her.

"What exactly is social hour?" Sakura broke in.

"We hang out and trade gossip," Eriol supplied.

"Boys gossip?"

The girls stared at him incredulously while Syaoran looked at the window.

Eriol sweatdropped, "Um . . . sometimes . . ." he trailed off.

Sakura started laughing. Meiling and Tomoyo joined in.

Syaoran didn't do anything he just stared at Sakura. He never heard someone laugh like that before. And it didn't sound obnoxious or an annoying high-pitch loud giggle. Sakura threw him a side wink, his lips then held a ghost of a smile.

BRING, BRING!

"Already?" Meiling pouted. "Great, time for fun dancing. See you guys later." Meiling waved.

"Well, time for sewing." Tomoyo kissed Eriol on the cheek then grabbed Sakura's wrist and dragged her along without turning around. Sakura twisted around and blew Syaoran a kiss.

"That was suh-weet," Eriol commented. Syaoran nodded and they walked towards their classroom.

Sakura peeked at Tomoyo and smirked when she saw Tomoyo's face almost a beautiful lobster shade of red.

"That was a bold move for shy, little Tomoyo," Sakura teased Tomoyo.

"You shut up," Tomoyo flushed even a darker red which Sakura didn't think was possible.

Sakura spotted a colorful eye-catching poster that had five of the most tantalizing words you can write to tempt a Rebel on the opposite wall, and dragged poor Tomoyo over.

**ATTENTION! TRADITIONAL PRINCE FIGHTING TOURNAMENT!!**

As the tournament comes closer we advise all princes' to carefully train in their martial arts, weapon fighting, and magic skills.

Tournament Fights well be based on a ladder game just write your name below:

_Yamazaki Takashi _

_Ryu Xenon_

_Syaoran LI_

_Eriol Hiiragizawa_

_Cruca Nowava_

_Naoras Jinsu_

_Kenji Brink_

_Rick Tappan_

_Roy Houndi_

_Etc_

"Well, looks like the boys enjoy fighting," Sakura commented, scanning the list.

"Yeah they do!"

"I'm guessing princesses aren't allowed judging from the traditional prince thing?"

"Sadly, nope we just sit on their asses in the bleachers." Tomoyo snorted.

"Wow, I never knew you could cuss Tomoyo!" Sakura stared at Tomoyo.

Tomoyo flushed tomato red again just when the previous redness had started to fade away; "Well that's what happens when you hang out with two boys!" She tried to defend herself.

Sakura patted her on the head. "It's all right. Everybody curse sometimes in their life, probably less than me but more than you, though. And, can I borrow a pen?"

Tomoyo rummaged through her messenger bag and gave her a blue fountain pen.

"Time to do something about that stupid rule," Sakura murmured and she stared at the poster hard, while uncapping the pen.

"Princesses aren't allowed Sakura!"

"I know, but most princesses can fight their asses off _hard_ if they wanted to." Sakura finished the fake name 'Saki Kino' with flourish and turned to Tomoyo. "Do they check out IDs here?"

"No."

"Okay, good."

"Are you really going to do this?"

"Yeah. What do you think? You do realize you're talking to a natural-born rebel here, right?" Sakura teased as she capped the pen and dropped it in Tomoyo's bag.

Tomoyo suddenly got stars in her eyes. "Can I please make your costume?" She begged.

Sakura sweat dropped. Same old Tomoyo. "Sure. Make sure to add a hat to it. I'm going to reveal my identity at the end."

Tomoyo cheered at Sakura being—finally—willing to let her be Tomoyo's mannequin. Then her eyes fell out her body as she caught sight of the ornate clock. "Oh, my god! We're almost half an hour late! Lets go!" She grabbed Sakura's wrist and dashed off. Well, tried, Sakura was stuck like she was in quicksand. "C'mon! We're going to get detention," Tomoyo urged as she tugged frantically at Sakura's wrist.

"Chill, girl. Let's go to Headmistress Gracia and I'll ask for a permit to go to the library."

"Um, small question—why?!"

"That's easy," Sakura smiled so widely that it revealed her eye tooth. "So I can research the previous major essays you guys have already done."

Tomoyo's eyes lit up. "Perfect!" She high-fived Sakura for thinking of such a genius idea. Not only will the Headmistress think that Sakura was responsible (which she was when caught) but Sakura will know everything about Amber Academy, this also gives Tomoyo time to fill Sakura in—any smart rebel should know the history and important facts of their settings.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Sakura commented as she handed over their golden ticket to not-getting-detention-and-getting-free-gab-time to the librarian who glared skeptically at Sakura over tortoiseshell glasses and examined the note Headmistress Gracia gave them with furtive disappointment when she found it authentic. She nodded them in.

The library was huge and disconnected from the rest of the Academy in a tastefully pink stone cut building with stained-glass domed ceiling. Dark oak wood paneling covered the circular walls, with three levels of stairs all carrying huge bookcases.

"Over there," Tomoyo said as she pointed at a podium in front of them that had a ball of white energy bobbing ontop of it, with a pulsing blue aura.

Somehow Sakura knew what to do when they reached it. "Desiree Dimension, Avalon Kingdom, History" She said clearly. The energy glowed blue and then unfolded a bunch of slides in it as if it was a GPS locater for books.

Inside of the glowing mass of energy; there were red bullet points with the locations of the books.

Sakura lightly touched the energy mass and her finger tip swirled with energy. The "screen" went blank. She and Tomoyo trekked off to find the books. After they each had ten volumes of books in their hands, they dumped the books onto an empty table surface on the third level.

Sakura slid into a chair with Tomoyo sitting diagonally from her. "I have all day to finish eight major essays, so give them to me. What are the major things I have to research?"

"Amber Academy's history and traditions, the key members of the royal families in both Li and Avalon Kingdoms, Desiree Kingdom legends, the founders of the most obscure kingdom in the Dimension; Glen, the meaning and feeling of penitent, the strongest sorcerers in the dimension, and the powers that only the most amazing sorcerers can attempt."

Sakura counted on her fingers, "Yeah, that's eight. Do you still have your papers?"

"I threw them out," Tomoyo said apologetically. "And I didn't do the last four because I was sick for the entire month of October—I just came back a coupla days ago," she admitted.

Sakura held out her finger and the energy globe drifted away from her fingers onto her palm centre. "Desiree Dimension, Glen Kingdom, Founders," It glowed red and settled back onto her finger.

She waved her hand over the stack of textbooks, immediately one threw itself onto the table surface in front of her, and the pages whooshed back until it stopped on one particular page. Sakura was born a speed reader, and it came in use as either a rebel or a new Amber Academy student. She bent over the page and read, her finger still glowing she moved it across a blank piece of paper and it recorded her thoughts in her exact handwriting.

Tomoyo took the chance to ask her a question, "How do you know how to use the mass of energy?"

"There was one in the palace in the library, I remember you using it to find pattern books during your short lived Gibson girl stage when we were five." Sakura laughed at the memory of both girls cherub chubby and short while she climbed tall ladders to get the books because Tomoyo was acrophobia

"I kept a page from one of those ancient books. Last year, I made a high neck, wide sleeve and narrow waist top from the pattern, and wore it for the winter dance," Tomoyo confessed with a mischievous look.

"I'm not surprised!" Sakura exclaimed joyfully.

They sat in silence while Sakura flipped through the pages of her numerous textbooks while Tomoyo mindlessly doodled rough drafts of clothing for Sakura's costume in her sketchbook. Everyone now and then Sakura would peek at Tomoyo's sketches and either grunted in approval or simply shooked her head. Tomoyo finally got an award-winning combination that the two girls both agreed on, did she add descriptions and notes, then flipped the cover back over and stuffed the sketchbook into her bag.

"Are you done yet?" Tomoyo asked.

"Almost," Sakura scrolled down the list inscribed in the energy slide in front of her. "I still have to research Amber Academy traditions and history, as well as the meaning of penitent."

Truth be told, she had already finished the penitent essay but she didn't want to show Tomoyo, much less Miss Uki whoever that was. She'll just have to wait to get free time to redo a more teacher friendly copy. But the information she had found about the sorcerers, legends, and royalty in Desiree Dimension was shocking enough to make her come back to more, anyways.

Two girls left the library. One disappointed about the lack of time they used to talk but enthusiastic about a new sewing project. Another too engrossed in the information that she had learned and hungering for more, and has two book volumes in her new book bag to read later on. This information was invaluable and she was going to use it to her advantage—after all she practices the art of subtle identification and knowledge. Nothing's going to escape her grasp now, after this furious feast for new knowledge.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry for the late update, it is SO hard to write fighting scenes

**Disclaimer: Don't own CLAMP, CCS—all I own is plot, my own characters and Amber Academy. **

**Chapter Six**

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror on the foggy November morning. Not bad, she concluded, twisting herself around for one final checkup.

"Sakura, you look fine, if you keep doing that you're going to wear out your brand new sneakers," Tomoyo teased from her position on Sakura's armchair.

"Tomoyo, if this goes well, maybe next year you might be actually be able to fight instead of quote "sitting your ass on the bleachers" unquote" Sakura shot back.

Tomoyo sweatdropped. "Okay, okay, but you do know it's almost time for the competitors to go to the arena?" Tomoyo pointed out. The arena was actually just an outdoor open-air stadium. It was huge and it was constructed entirely by magic, so the headmistress can tell if anyone cheated by using spells or potions to make themselves stronger. If they did, they'd be kicked out of Amber Academy. There was no magic detectors to check if their a boy or a girl. Besides, Sakura was only wearing a cap to protect her identity, not a full on magic disguise.

"Eriol and Syaoran are competitors, right?" Sakura asked.

"Are you kidding? They're like legends in this Academy, Syaoran won, like, three times in a row, while Eriol won two times—when Syaoran was sick or in his kingdom for training. Sad, but true."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "How is it sad if Eriol wins less than Syaoran? He's still a legend right?"

"Well . . . " Tomoyo trailed off.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh damn! You like Eriol, don't you?!" Sakura started laughing.

Tomoyo threw a pillow at Sakura. "Shut up! Okay I do! Happy?"

Sakura smirked. Yeah. Okay. You do. But I wonder what will happen if I win over the so called "legends", and break their bones in the process? She thought to herself. Nah, forget it. Tomoyo would kill me if I break even one of Eriol's bones. I'll go easy on him. She rolled her eyes.

Tomoyo stared suspiciously at Sakura. "What?"

"Nothing," Sakura said innocently. "You'd better get out of here, and get your ass into the stadium, or people become suspicious if you aren't there to cheer on your love puppy. I've got to go backstage."

Tomoyo left, but not without playfully punching Sakura in the arm. Sakura winced. She rubbed her arm. Tomoyo called that playful? She wondered and shook her head. Enough distractions, she had to get herself into character.

She had been a outlaw rebel for at least three years now. She was disgraced and dishonored after her family died at age 13, kicked out 14 and on the run since the exile happened. She was 16 now and she was stuck inside Amber Academy. She had no idea what would happen to her next year when she became 18.

What the--?! She was getting off track. Sakura scolded herself, she'll worry about what will happen next year, next year. Anyways, even though she was an outlaw rebel, she showed a somewhat softer side in this Academy since she had Tomoyo back as a friend, and Eriol and Meiling was extremely nice to her, no one had ever gotten the full blast of her outlaw rebel side. If she was going to act like a boy and win at the competition, she would have to do like an rebel.

She swiped the black cap that Tomoyo made for her and placed it on at an angle that shadowed her eyes and covered her hair, and showed only her lips and nose. The cap was bewitched by Tomoyo specially to not fall off unless Sakura takes it off herself. And once again, the timing had to be right. Sakura had to WIN, or else she'd just be a failure to all the pro-girls here. Besides, it was a stupid rule that Sakura really want to break. When she wants something broken, it usually happens. Sakura took a swift look at herself and went out. Nothing can go wrong today, she can't reveal her identity too soon or too late.

It had to be perfect.

**Backstage**

Sakura pushed her way through the throngs of princes and their pitiful girlfriends begging them to be careful. Sakura almost snorted at that one, boys + the right to fight a little bloodshed. But, Sakura wasn't worried about her safety. She'd like to fight a bit with these tough boys.

"Here ye, here ye, listen up," A squeaky voice screeched and echoed around backstage, continuosly. The voice caused many people to wince, and several to clap their hands over their ears to keep sane.

"Here where?" Syaoran said sarcastically. Sakura smiled slightly at his bluntnes.

"I'm UP HERE!!" Screamed the voice. The princes (and one undercover princess) faced the makeshift podium. A little, puny, 8-year-old-looking page with green-looking- skin was bouncing around, trying to get everybody's attention.

"Ahem," the page cleared his throat and continued. "Today, is an extremely important day for you men, you must show the best to your ability, and remember that everyone is a winner," and trailed on with his speech that nobody really paid attention too.

"He says the same thing every year and he _still _hasn't found a decent skin product," Eriol shooked his head at the sad, sad thing.

"Doesn't look any older either," a dark-haired boy pushed his way to Syaoran and Eriol.

"Takashi, my man!" Syaoran and Yamazaki high fived each other.

"What's going on with you? How was the Kingdom? Did the elders treat you well?" Eriol asked Yamazaki.

"It was fine, they treated me perfectly—that is perfect if you want to be a servant," Yamazaki groused. "I can't believe you talked me into it!"

"Get used to it, it's how we're treated all the time," Syaoran clapped Yamazaki on the back, then smirked. "But, of course, I get a slightly better treatment than Eriol, since I am the soon to be King of Li Kingdom."

"Shut up!" You could Eriol saying that in the background while Yamazaki and Syaoran laughed.

"Anyways, what did I miss?" Yamazaki asked, curiously.

"Well . . . let's see . . . Chiharu broke her neck falling down the stairs, Meiling is going to propose to Ryu, Syaoran lost martial arts training to mister prince charming, Naoko and Rika gryated with each other and kissed each other in front of the entire school, and the rebel outlaw Sakura Kinomoto is in our school." Eriol said extremely fast.

. . . A couple of pauses . . . . "WHAT?!"

Eriol laughed. "Just kidding. But the part where Sakura Kinomoto came to our school is completely real." He said seriously.

Sakura, who was behind the group, had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing like a hyena at the sight of Syaoran and Yamazaki's faces.

"Kinomoto is in _our_ school?! I bet she got a ton of detentions already! More than you guys!" Yamazaki laughed.

Syaoran snorted. "For an outlaw, she sure doesn't act like it. She hasn't gotten a single detention yet."

"_And_ she knows Tomoyo for some strange reason," Eriol added. "But she's really nice."

"Really?" Yamazaki was dumbfounded.

"Really." The two boys confirmed.

"Okay, I've got to meet her."

You've already have . . . and you pushed me, Sakura smiled wryly. Thanks.

"How long has she been here?" Yamazaki asked.

"Mmmm, around two weeks, I think?" Eriol estimated.

"I've got to meet this so called outlaw!" Yamazaki laughed. "She sounds so interesting in the Li Kingdom newspapers! 'Outlaw rebel Sakura Kinomoto has been rumoured to be taking over the Avalon Kingdom once her 18th birthday strikes'," He recited a newspaper heading.

"Do you memorize everything you read?" Syaoran asked, amused.

"YEP! AND THEN I TWIST IT AND TURN!" Yamazaki hopped on one foot and clapped his hands.

Eriol stepped back. Syaoran whispered to Eriol, "Next he'll be wearing a tutu and declaring his love for all things puke colored, while eating a mold covered sandwich."

"Nasty thoughts! Ew! Gross!" Yamazaki looked disgusted.

Syaoran shrugged.

Sakura was now just plain confused but, hey, they're boys.

"ARE YOU LISTENING?!"

Sakura almost fell over at the incredibly annoying voice. She squeezed her eyes and counted back from 10, she desperately wanted to strangle that stupid page. Didn't he know how loud he was, and how _puny _of an area the backstage was?!

"Now that I have gotten back you much needed attention, I will now tell who is fighting who in the first round." At that, the crowd was _finally actually _paying attention.

Syaoran Li vs. Yamazaki Takashi

Ryu Xenon vs Naoras Jinsu

Eriol Hiirigizawa vs Saki Kino

Etc, etc

"Who is the freak?" Eriol raised an eyebrow.

"Don't know," Syaoran shrugged. "Doesn't sound like nobody I know." Yamazaki was just almost crying at the fact that he had to battle Syaoran.

"Shit! I thought that the first match of the first round, they were supposed to go easy on you!" Yamazaki groaned. "I'm going to lose—big time!"

"Don't feel bad, man, you might lose, but hey, you'll be alive," Syaoran said. "I'll go easy on you." Eriol and Yamazaki raised eyebrows and stared then at each other, not believing a word Syaoran just said.

Sakura just smiled. She had Eriol. This'll be interesting. She followed the rest of the competitors out into the arena's fighting area, and sat on the benches. Surprise, surprise, Meiling and Tomoyo had bleacher seats just above Sakura's head. They grinned secretly at each other.

The tiny page ran into the stadium and went into the middle of the fighting area. "Good evening princesses and princes! Welcome to Amber Academy's traditional 178th princes annual fighting competition!" At this, everyone screamed and cheered.

"Beginning right now, we will start with the 1st round, which is hand to hand combat. The 2nd round will be weapons combat, the 3rd round is whatever the remaining competitors decide to do. Remember, this arena will be able to detect if anybody's cheating. The first match of the first round: Ryu Xenon vs Naoras Jinsu!"

Sakura studied the two teenage boys as they stood up from the bench. One was dirty-blonde with a single ear piercing, the other was purple spiked hair with white? eyes!

The two faced each other with a fixed (and scary!) expressions on their faces.

Sakura heard Meiling whisper to Tomoyo, "This oughta be good. My boyfriend fighting the biggest social drop-out in the academy. Though, I wish it was Ryu against your love puppy."

Boyfriend? She'll have to ask Meiling about that speck of information that she seemingly forgot to tell Sakura.

Tomoyo looked annoyed, and then she shot back, "If it was your boyfriend and my "love puppy," my puppy would so win."

"You sure?"

"Heck yeah!"

"Girls, girls, girls, can you please be quiet, I'm trying to watch. And whose this "love puppy?" Eriol asked crossly.

"You don't know?!" Meiling asked bewildred. She cracked up with Tomoyo. Eriol was jealous about Tomoyo's "love puppy", which was really him.

"Shhh, I'm trying to see how badly the two screw up!" Yamazaki hissed. After a couple more laughs, they finally settled down. By then, the match was already over and Ryu won.

So the guy with the blonde hair is Ryu Xenon, Sakura made note of that. She'd probably have to fight him later. That other guy, Naoras, was pretty good but he made the mistake of basing his fighting moves on the pounding rock music pouring into the arena from nowhere. She couldn't laugh or talk since she didn't know any magic to change how her voice pitch.

"NEXT UP IS SYAORAN LI, AND YAMAZAKI TAKASHI!"

Syaoran and Yamazaki walked up to the fighting area. Syaoran looked kind of bored, Yamazaki had a look of slight of nervousness but you couldn't tell since his facial expression changed in a milisecond to determined.

"Ready, set, GO!"

Yamazaki ran up and attempted to punch Syaoran in the stomach. Syaoran dodged it and threw a hook kick around Yamazaki's neck, bringing him subtly down.

After ten more seconds . . .

"SYAORAN LI WINS!"

Syaoran just nodded at the page and the screaming crowd and pulled Yamazaki up. "Sorry."

"You call that going easy?" Yamazaki grumbled, rubbing his sore shoulder as the two boys returned to the bench.

Eriol cracked a smile, and shook his head. "Syaoran, dude, next time don't make promises you can't keep."

"It wasn't a promise! I don't recall hearing myself saying any damn promises! I said I'll go easy. I didn't say, 'i promise I'll go easy on you.' So there!"

Yamazaki grinned. "Guess you didn't. I've gotta go head up the spectator's bleachers, since I lost, or people'll think I'm cheating. See ya."

"See ya," Eriol and Syaoran nodded to Yamazaki as he walked through the exit.

More battles. Then the last one for the first round.

"ERIOL HIIRIGIZAWA VERSUS SAKI KINO!"

Who? Was the major word the spectators were asking. Sakura got up from the bench and walked to the fighting area while Eriol took the opposite side. Eriol's hair was shining in the sunlight, and his glasses was gleaming. If Sakura didn't know any better, she would have said that this competition was for the princes to show of for the ladies.

"Ready . . ."

Sakura slid into a back fighting stance, while Eriol just kept his infuriating calm expression and assumed a side stance.

"Set . . ."

Sakura's eyes narrowed (not that anyone could see that).

"GO!"

Eriol threw a snap kick that Sakura blocked with ease and countered with an attack in the side, which caused him to stumble. Sakura moved forward and threw a couple of punches and a kick that all caused Eriol some pain, especially in the jaw. Eriol recovered and spin kicked, Sakura flipped to get out of the way. When she landed, she received a kick in the stomach and fell onto her back. She kicked him again in the jaw as he tried to attack him while she was still on the ground. He stumbled, she swiftly got backup and spun around and knocked him down with a sweep kick. She slammed her foot into his chest.

She once again was about to kick him, when he grabbed her foot shoved it and threw it off him and he moved in and punched her. Sakura grabbed his arm and tossed him onto his back. She once again tried to kick him, he grabbed her foot again and threw her to the side. But this time she flipped herself through the air to land on her feet. Eriol charged forward and punched her. Sakura stopped herself from falling with a weird flip-y thing.

"Who is that guy?" Syaoran frowned. He had never heard of Saki Kino in his entire life and he's been at this school since he was 11 and he was 17 now! He was beginning to feel a bit suspicious.

Meiling quickly cut in, "You're just jealous that he's better than you!"

Syaoran sniffed. "I am not!" He protested at that outrageous comment.

Meiling snorted. "Suuure you're not," she said sarcasically. The minute Syaoran turned his back on her, she whispered to Tomoyo. "Why is Sakura hesitating? Shouldn't she do something?"

Tomoyo watched with anticipation. "Don't worry. She's probably going to do something weird, and never done before, and win."

Meiling nodded, "Right."

Sakura grimaced. She quickly come up with a plan and ran forward towards Eriol and threw herself to land on her hands, going into a quick handstand, and shot up into the air in a flip, and went into a drop kick.

Eriol watched her carefully and grabbed her foot when she came towards him, and slammed him to the ground. Sakura smirked, as she landed on her heands and flipped into the air, forcing him forward. The filp made Eriol lost his balance and he flew through the air, only to crash into the stadium boards. The crowd audibly gasped in horror. Sakura landed on her feet gracefully and watched to see if Eriol regained conciousness. He didn't. She looked over at Tomoyo who looked horrified and sweatdropped.

Maybe I overdid it, Sakura thought. Oops. Oh well.

"SAKI KINO WINS!" Nobody cheered. They were all shocked to see their two-time champion beaten by a unknown prince. Meiling began clapping along with Tomoyo, which caused a chain reaction. Finally people started clapping. Sakura bowed and went to the benches. Eriol was treated by the Academy's nurse.

Syaoran stared suspiciously at Sakura and then went on to talk to Yamazaki about something.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"LADIES AND GENTS!! WE HAVE THE RESULTS!! TIME FOR ROUND TWO!!" People screamed. "First up, is Saki Kino and Cruca Nowava!"

Sakura picked up a pair of daggers lying in the weapons crate guarded by some scary-looking guard, while a sallow-skinned boy with pale blue eyes and silvery hair picked up a sword. They both entered the fighting area at the same time.

Sakura and Cruca circled each other. Sakura initiated first by running towards Cruca and took a swipe with her daggers and . . . missed.

Cruca twisted and kicked Sakura in the back. Sakura did a front flip and landed on her legs facing him. Cruca did a horizontal slice at Sakura, she used her right dagger and blocked him. Sakura tried to take his arm with her left dagger, but Cruca kneaded her in the stomach. Sakura chokes on her own spit and staggered a bit backwards but quickly recovered and threw her right dagger at his arm with astonishing deadly accuracy.

Cruca's arm was bleeding only a bit. Sakura seized the chance and ran, ducking underneath his arm and caught her dagger that was still suspended in air. She brought it down to her side.

Sakura swiveled and restarted running towards him again and aimed for a high kick. Cruca did the same EXACT mistake as Eriol (partially to the fact that he was in the bathroom when she did that and only knows that "Saki" won) and used his uninjured arm and grabbed her legs. Sakura once again used her hands to cushion the fall and threw herself into a flip, kicking Cruca down to the floor.

Cruca rolled back on his stomach and got up and ran and kicked her in the face. Sakura grabbed her cheek, and if you could see Sakura's face you'd be looking at a face of death.

Sakura aimed a jab at his stomach with her right dagger. Cruca blocked it. Sakura grabbed and twisted the hand wielding the sword. He winced but didn't drop the sword. Sakura twisted harder and kicked him in the shins, making him drop the sword. Sakura kicked his stomach causing him to drop to the ground. She placed her two daggers in an X, the blades of the daggers facing his neck.

Seeing that Cruca couldn't move or else the daggers would pierce his neck, and Sakura had one foot resting on his stomach, the page screamed, "SAKI KINO WINS!"

People clapped this time since you'd have to be blind not to see that "Saki" had extraodinary fighting abilities. Syaoran grudgingly added his own clapping to the applause.

--

"LAST ONE UP IS RYU XENON AND SYAORAN LI!"

"SYAORAN LI WINS! THE FINAL AND LAST BATTLE IS COMING UP! PAIRS ARE:

Syaoran Li and Tony Saks

Saki Kino and Roy Houndi

Nanto Fivra and Elvis Sirius

Danka Sovra and Kito Rum

Oliver Hill and Kenji Brink

Hawk Bleu and Jali Prince

Frank Alissa and Rick Tappan

Vincent Clague and Donavin Scarlett

THANK YOU, NOW PLEASE MEET WITH YOUR PARTNERS FOR CHOICING!"

Sakura meet up with a kind-looking boy.

"Hello," he said stretching out a hand.

Sakura signed "hello" in sign language.

Roy looked surprised and nodded. "Oh, you're mute?" He signed back.

"_No, I just prefer not to talk."_

"_Ah, maybe that's why I haven't heard of you"_

"_Haha, very funny"_

"_Thank you. Anyways what is your choice?"_

"_Um, how about hand?"_

"_Fine with me."_

This is how it goes . . . (**Bold **is winners.)

**Syaoran Li** and Tony Saks

**Saki Kino** and Roy Houndi

Nanto Fivra and **Elvis Sirius**

**Danka Sovra** and Kito Rum

Oliver Hill and **Kenji Brink**

**Hawk Bleu** and Jali Prince

Frank Alissa and **Donavin Tappan**

Vincent Clague and **Rick Scarlett**

The next match:

**Syaoran Li** against Elvis Sirius

Danka Sovra against **Kenji Brink**

**Saki Kino **against Hawk Bleu

**Rick Tappan** and Donavin Scarlett

"This last match is the final one for the round. I would like to say that there will be first winner, second place, and third place winners. They will be based on ability and how many hits you can get on your opponent. The battles will go like this . . . Syaoran Li against Saki Kino, and Kenji Brink against Rick Tappan. Li and Kino begin your match."

Roy had kindly translated for "Saki" that "he" wanted a hand-combat battle, while holding an ice pack to his head, to Syaoran before the battle. Syaoran agreed, seeing that all the swords that were in the weapons crate sucked and you weren't allowed to use your own.

"READY, SET, GO!"

Sakura and Syaoran both slid into place while ear-deafening rock music poured out of nowhere. Syaoran focused, snap-kicked. Sakura dodged, and launched into a series of attacks: her arms and legs were like slashing bars of steel. Syaoran blocked each one and came back hard, Sakura didn't block fast enough and Syaoran's foot slammed into her shoulder.

He came back again, Sakura blocked with her right hand, and sweeped her legs under Syaoran's, tripping him. Syaoran flipped back on his feet and balled his heand into a fist and snapped his arm up from the elbow, hitting her at the bridge of her nose. Sakura grabbed Syaoran's hand, and twisted it and gave a quick chop at the back of his neck.

He dive sommer-saulted and from her grasp and delievered a quick, thrusting blow at her.

Sakura staggered backword.

Syaoran advanced toward her, and punched her. Sakura whirled to the side. Syaoran moved in, then slipped back again and again, chaning his approach. Sakura was off balance, and tried to head off the attacks. Then a sharp kick spiked her side, Sakura gasped and stumbled.

Sakura quickly focused herself and released a chain of snap-kicks at Syaoran's back, face, stomach and legs. Her moves were flawless, smoothly connected and fierce. Syaoran dodged all of them, and did a hook kick at her neck. Sakura tumbled to the ground and stayed there while the short page counted off. "1, 2, 3! . . . SYAORAN LI WINS!!"

Everyone bursts into cheers, glad to see that one of their continuing champions hadn't lost to the new anonymous prince (princess).

After, all the princes were cleaned up (by themeselves, or by somebody else—Sakura obviously by herself) they re-entered the stadium grounds.

"That was wonderful fighting!" The page said, giddly—almost sounding drunk. "But we can only have three winners! Gold, silver and bronze! The gold gets the final battle, and the silver gets the most battles, and the bronze got more battles than the looooosers!! Hahaha. Okay, the gold is Syaoran Li!"

People cheered. The princes clapped as Syaoran walked up to the center of the stadium and received his medal. He thrust it up in the air and triumph!! Everyone screamed.

"The silver belongs to Saki Kino!!"

People clapped politely. They knew Saki had talent but they didn't exactly knew "him".

Sakura walked up to the center, and received her medal. She placed it around her neck, and then . . . took off her cap. Her auburn hair whipped into the air, and everyone could see the face of rebel Sakura Kinomoto.A girl.

In a prince-only competition . . .

**Chapter Ended**

This is the LONGEST chapter I ever wrote for Rebel! Yay! But I'll admit—the battles were boring and terribly-written. But I like everything that wasn't the battles.  Hehe.

Why didn't I make Sakura win over Syaoran? Because in the anime, the manga-Syaoran was the martial-arts guy. And I think I need to keep that little bit of information in the storyline. And Syaoran has been a champion a lot of times already in Amber Academy—he deserves to win.

But, then, why didn't I make Eriol silver? Because Eriol is the reincarnation of Clow Reed. Not the reincarnation of Bruce Lee. I'll have to make him more powerful in magic than in martial arts.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

**Chapter Seven:**

The huge wave of sound crashed over Sakura almost as quickly as everyone went quiet when she revealed her true identity. People's shouts of disbelief, anger, and some of the girls yelling in joy meshed together and flooded the stadium.

"Get her!" The angry short page shrieked.

Sakura whipped around just in time to see two guards who were scary buffed, and had veins popping out of their heads. She yelped, and quickly dodged a blow to her head. She then quickly fought them off and after about 15 minutes, Sakura landed on her feet gracefully. The same can't be said for the guards.

The page snapped his fingers, and two other pages—both lanky, tall but had handcuffs. The two pages grabbed her and placed her hands behind her back and handcuffed her.

"Release her," a quiet but commanding voice said.

Everyone turned around. The headmistress was coming through the entrance to the stadium to the center. The two pages quickly released Sakura and stepped back and politely bowed. Sakura death-glared at all three pages, and silently nodded her thanks to the headmistress. The headmistress winked back secretly.

Sakura rubbed her wrists. Yep. It was starting to swell into a nice purple-black bruise. Purple, black, red, and blue; the four colors that show up on Sakura the most.

"Your honour! This isn't what it seems. The outlaw forced her way into the competition and won the silver medal! As you all know, this competition has been a tradition in Amber Academy always. But as a princes competition. This rebel has broken the rules," the short and sickly page said in one breath.

The headmistress surveyed him majestically and said in a voice that made people fear for their lives; "Do you think I do not know that?"

The page gulped. "Of course your highness, I just, I just t-thought." Sakura had to bite her tongue to keep herself from snorting in an unlady-like manner especially since she was already under so much heat. The page obviously had no idea what he was thinking.

"Enough," Headmistress Gracia raised her hand and the page silenced himself immediately.

"Now tell me, dear," Gracia placed her finger under Sakura's chin and tilted her face towards hers. "Why did you break such a long tradition? It isn't righteous even for a rebel to go an prince only competition."

"Then where's the princesses only competition?" Sakura asked bluntly. The pages, and teachers gasped at the atrocity of her words. How dare Sakura back-talk the headmistress!

The headmistress laughed gaily. "I would have thought you would've replied to me like that. Where is princesses-only competition? Why, dear, would we want to have such a thing? Most princesses here would not want to break a nail."

"Most," Sakura said, defensively. "Yeah, most. The other half would rather fight. And not all of us have a knight in shining armour to protect us. We would rather protect ourselves."

"Yeah!" Meiling stepped into the center of the stadium.

"You're defending her?" Syaoran whispered frantically to his cousin.

"Duh," Meiling said, rolling her eyes. She turned to the headmistress. "I'm sorry if I'm offending you, your honour. But I must think, Sakura here does have a point. We never really have any competition here just for princesses. And the only one we have is the Christmas ball where the princesses compete for best dress. But the princes also will be competiting for Christmas prince. We would like to be able to defend ourselves instead of just using some stupid small attacks that won't help us at all if we are under attack and our magic is disabled."

The headmistress sighed. "I guess you are right. Not every princess likes depending on the princes. And most of the princesses can do a lot better."

The princes lining the stadium and bleachers turned to each other and smirked at the statement.

Sakura saw that and swept her eyes past the all with a hard, cold stare. This was to remind them that they had just gotten their asses kicked by a girl—not by drugs or magic. A girl, with all au naturale fighting abiltiy, smashed their asses to the other side of the stadium.

"Alright I will see what I can do," Gracia sighed and turned to the sickly page. "Please give me the bronze medal," she asked.

"Of course," the page, still looking flustered began to rummage inside his pouch for the bronze medal. He turned white. "I seemed to have lost it."

The entire stadium turned to look at him. The rest of the princes who hadn't yet won a medal glared at him. The teachers frowned. All the medals which were made for the traditional annual prince battle were made of real gold, silver and bronze. The Amber Academy's logo was carved in by hand by the teachers. Also it was studded by rubies, emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. The ribbon that was thread through the medal to place around your neck was carefully made by the headmistress. But the most special part of the medals were that it had a certain amount of glowing from the Academy's magic source—no one knew where it came from—not even the headmistress!

"I can make a new one," Eriol offered as he strode calmly into the arena's centre.

The page scoffed at him. "Like, how?"

Eriol gave his famous, trademark Chesire cat smile. He simply cupped his hands in front of him and they began glowing. Slowly a mass of white magic began forming into a circle then a great big flash of light. Sakura had to turn to shield her eyes from turning blind. "Voila!" Eriol was a holding a bronze medal, with everything that a special Amber Academy's competition medal is supposed to have on it on it, in his hands.

"Glorious!" The headmistress beamed, holding up the medal. "You, my dear, will get a free day from academics when the schedule returns to normal on Monday!"

"Thank you, your honour," Eriol smirked. He turned around and winked at someone in the stands.

Tomoyo blushed tomato red and quickly hid behind Meiling before Eriol saw the abnormal flush. Meiling rolled her eyes and patted Tomoyo's back.

The headmistress held up the medal and annouced, "The winner of the bronze medal is Kenji Brink!"

The prince bounded up to the center and accepted his award. Sakura, Syaoran, and Kenji held hands and bowed. The stadium erupted with cheers. Almost three-fourths of the princesses were glad that Sakura had the guts to stand up the rules and stand up for them.

"Yay Sakura!" Tomoyo and Meiling cheered.

Sakura smiled. She replaced the cap, and walked out the arena with Syaoran and Kenji.

Eriol dashed up to Syaoran and whispered frantically in his ear, "Get some dirt on Tomoyo from Sakura, please!" He begged then dashed back after Syaoran curtly nodded.

Syaoran glared at Sakura as they walked out of earshot from the arena, he acknowledge Kenji (one of his roommates), then dragged Sakura over to the edge of the forest. "Why did you break the rule?!" He hissed at Sakura.

Sakura smiled sweetly. "I may have gotten nicer. But I still am I rebel. When I don't like a rule—I try to change it. This rule was stupid—so I broke it to try to change it. But nice match anyway. You are a good fighter." She turned on her heel and walked back to the Academy .

Syaoran stood there, stunned. Then shook his head and ran after her. "Wait up! Where are you going?" He called out.

Sakura stopped and waited for him. He rushed up, and tried to catch his breath. "Library, why?"

"Tomoyo . . . told me . . . you still had papers to finish . . . can I help?"

"Uhh . . . sure?" She didn't really care but it was nice for him to offer help. Besides, the fact that she saw something shocking today that tied up almost all the information she needed for her hypothosis to be correct and she needed all the help she could get from Syaoran. Syaoran was definitely someone who had some information on her subject matter that she could weasel out from.

Syaoran grinned as he walked besides Sakura, "I also have some crap to do too."

Sakura playfully punched Syaoran. "Ugh! I knew you had ulterior motive!"

Syaoran smirked and placed his arm around Sakura. She didn't object. Though a pair of white eyes hiding in the shadows of trees sure did but definitely not in a romantic way.

'I'll let you have some fun now,' He snarled in his head, while brushing his dirty-blonde hair away from his face. 'But soon my signal will arrive and you will be struggling to even talk to any one who cares to listen to you within months.'

Sakura inhaled a fresh gust of air into her lungs, filling her diaphram. It felt good to be back in the spacious library again. This time to librarian didn't even stare at her suspiciously but rather ignored her and welcomed Syaoran in graciously.

Sakura humphed with annoyance as the two grabbed their finger fill from the energy mass.

"What?" Syaoran looked at her quizically.

Sakura just stared.

"Oh, that. Yeah, being future heir to the most powerful kingdom in Desiree has its uses."

"But, I'm heir to the second most powerful!" Sakura protested as she nabbed the same table she used during the previous cramming session.

"You're a rebel, hon," Syaoran said absentmindely as he examined the back of an ancient, yellowing book. He sat down never taking his mind off of _The Psychology Behind the Ancient Art of Savior: Princes to Princesses _by Sameul F. King_.  
_

"That explains so much."

Syaoran finished the book absolutely fascinated and gingerly laid the dying book down. He turned to face Sakura who was intently reading _Fantastic Sorcerers of Desiree Dimension Vol 1: Clow Reed. _Syaoran couldn't make out the faded author's name then a thought hit him. Vol. 1 of the series was completely in an ancient latin dialect, how could Sakura read it?

Sakura answered as if she read his mind, "I studied latin since it is required by heirs—you should know."

"Oh," He chuckled. But there was something off, Sakura closed her book at this. Syaoran was _never_ nervous.

"Do you want to ask me something?" She inquired.

"I guess you heard the entire conversation between me, Eriol and Takashi?" He nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"You want to know how I know Tomoyo?" She briskly asked.

"Yes. NO! Whatever is alright with you?"

Once again Syaoran never failed to amaze Sakura. She never knew that he actually cared about how she would feel with a question. No one gave her a choice, it was either answer or I'll-rip-your-thumbs-off-with-pliers.

"Tomoyo and I are childhood friends," She began. Syaoran nodded, his eyes wide with curiousity. Sakura grinned at the realization that she could have some fun with this. "We were born in Clow City."

His jaw quickly dropped then realized she was just playing with him. She giggled at how guillible he was. She didn't realize how relieved he was. "I can't believe you bought that—everybody knows that Clow City, beautiful, forbidden magical Clow City a.k.a heaven on earth is a complete urban myth."

"To answer your question, she's my first cousin and we are childhood friends in Avalon Kingdom, and once I claim the throne, she will become my lady-in-waiting."

"But, what about the myths that Clow Reed created it?" Syaoran persisted, he seemed to want to focus on Clow Reed.

"Hmm, Clow Reed was born centuries and centuries ago, we don't even have proof that he had existed," Sakura pointed out.

Syaoran was silent. He left it at that. Sakura suspiciously stared at him before returning to her book.

"Tomoyo told me you already finish the socerer and Clow Reed essay, um, why are you still reading on him?"

Sakura laid the book open on the table. She scribbled something on her pad of paper. She turned to face Syaoran, "Because I can," she said smugly. She menacingly pointed her fountain pen at Syaoran, "And don't nag since you were the one who wanted to come with me."

"Alright, alright," Syaoran put his hands up in defense, and kept reading as Sakura procrastinated.

Sakura's jaw dropped as she read farther into her book. It makes sense. The unusual blue hair and glasses . . . Syaoran's glare and nervousness when it came to Clow Reed and Eriol . . . his being able to use staffs . . . the power to regenerate items with absolutely no effort . . . legends that Clow Reed was a very mischevious person and could often his personality was very impish . . . how Clow Reed married a black-haired girl in the Li Kingdom . . . Eriol's Clow Reed, Sakura thought in disbelief as everything pieced together perfectly in her head.

She slowly turned towards Syaoran, "Li, I'm going to be very blunt now, can I ask you a question?"

Syaoran didn't turn away from his book, "Shoot," He said without looking up.

Sakura drew in a long breath. She wasn't sure she had the authority to ask, especially since she mostly used the art of identification to piece it together, but, hey, she's a rebel and there's not quite anything she would've gotten done if she didn't take the risk. "Is Eriol Clow Reed?" She asked straight out.

Syaoran froze. "What? No, that's ridiculous!" But his nervousness gave him away. He usually is one of the best liars in the whole damn dimension, but Sakura took him by surprise. He was never taken by surprise because people are usually downright easy to read.

Sakura stared at him pointedly.

Syaoran sighed. He placed his head in his palms and groaned. He looked at Sakura and got ready to launch into a lecture. "Well, not technically," He admitted.

"Technically? Either he is or he isn't, there's nothing technical about that!"

"Eriol is Clow Reed's reincarnation, that is why he was born in the Li Kingdom, Clow Reed died there. That's why the elders fixed an arranged marriage to Meiling, because he's Clow Reed's reincarnation and according to history he married a black-haired girl, that's all there was about his marriage."

Sakura's mind flashed back to a specific conversation during the first Social Hour.

"_Eh, I'm used to it." Meiling grinned. "Remember when Eriol and I came to Amber Academy to the first time?" She asked Syaoran and Tomoyo. _

"_It was interesting," Tomoyo laughed nervously. _

_Syaoran sniggered in his palm, "I'm not surprised it didn't work out," he said. _

Sakura's mind flashed back to a more recent memory.

_Sakura raised an eyebrow. "How is it sad if Eriol wins less than Syaoran? He's still a legend right?"_

"_Well . . . " Tomoyo trailed off. _

_Sakura's eyes widened. "Oh damn! You like Eriol, don't you?!" Sakura started laughing. _

_Tomoyo threw a pillow at Sakura. "Shut up! Okay I do! Happy?" _

"Meiling was supposed to marry Eriol?!" She half-shrieked.

"Well, yes."

"Then why did you say on my first day that you weren't surprised it didn't work out?" Sakura demanded.

Syaoran blinked. He thought he was the only one who could think that far back. "Because Eriol called off the marriage when Ryu came into the picture. Even the elders realized that both Eriol and Meiling are dominates in relationships, and they would probably blow up a house if they were married. That, and Eriol likes someone else and is planning to propose to her."

Sakura's stomach dropped for Tomoyo. "Who?" She whispered.

"Have you kept your eyes open during the co-ed classes? Tomoyo, of course!"

Sakura's face split into a big grin, "Good, I would've killed Eriol if he proposed to another girl!"

"Tomoyo told you that she likes Eriol?" Sakura nodded. "Oh, thank god, Eriol's going to be so relieved and won't threaten me anymore to find out."

"So, Clow City is real then?"

Syaoran was confused. What? Okay, that was a face change in topic. "Yes, but since it's basically a urban myth, Reed only left instructions on how to get their for his reincarnation."

"Did the elders give you an arranged marriage too?" Sakura asked brusquely.

"No. I'm the heir, they don't have any control over me since I'm already at legal age," Syaoran smirked at this.

"Nice!" Sakura lifted her hand, he slapped her palm. Sakura leaned towards him, and before he realized what had happened; her lips gently landed on his.

His brain started working again and he kissed her back. Sakura slowly pulled away, her heavily lidded halfway, her breathing ragged.

"What brought that on?" Syaoran asked, his breathing just as heavy as hers, quite shocked at her direct come on.

"I've been wanting to do that for quite a while to tell the truth," Sakura confessed.

"Oh, really?" Syaoran raised an eyebrow and smirked. Just like on the first day, his hands suddenly snagged around her waist, pulling her towards him. "Good, same here," He whispered, his breath warm on her lips, before kissing her again.

The two finally broke apart when their oxygen supply became seriously depleted.

They heard a slow clapping. Sakura whipped around, Syaoran's hands still on her waist. Meiling was leaned against the railing on the balcony.

"How long have you been here?" Syaoran snapped.

"Long enough for to see that incredibly hot liplock," Meiling smirked.

Both of them colored to the point that someone could mistake them for ripe tomatoes. "Shut up, Meiling," Syaoran growled, though he didn't deny that it was hot liplock.

Meiling held up her hands in a show of surrender and peace. "Chill, people, I'm here with Ryu to tell you some crap that Sakura is probably thinking and to help Sakura with her papers. Oh, and I'm stealing your chair," Meiling plopped into the one that Sakura abandoned to do, well, something else.

"Sure, why don't we all distract Sakura from doing her homework?" Sakura said sarcastically, exasperated but amused at their artful excuses.

Meiling snorted absentmindedly as she looked around the cafeteria.

Sakura could guess who she was looking for and decided it was the perfect time for a subject change. "That reminds me," Sakura smiled evilly at Meiling, "Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend?"

Meiling gulped. "Um, it never came up?" She meekly said

Sakura glared at her but let it go since she was getting sick of standing and looked at Syaoran over her shoulder, raising her eyebrow. He nodded, knowing what she asked. Sakura sat in his lap, his arms instinctively pulled her towards his chest. "By the way, it was you who distracted yourself from your own homework," He whispered into her ear.

Sakura shrugged and shot back, "Like you protested my distraction method."

Meiling smiled at the newfound couple.

"Yeah, stop smirking Meiling. Where's Ryu, anyhow?" Syaoran asked.

Meiling stood up, and brandished her arm in a grand gesture, "Right here!"

The dirty-blonde with a single ear piercing that had fought Naoras, the guy with the creepy eyes, in the first round of the tournament walked out of the shadows, picked Meiling up and swung her around in a circle and sat in Sakura's stolen seat, with Meiling in his lap.

"Hello, I'm Ryu Xenon," He politely held his hand out for Sakura. Sakura shooked it and added on to his sentence, " . . . And Meiling's boyfriend." With this, she shot a meaningful glare at Meiling.

Meiling sweatdropped.

"Meiling and I got together during the Winter Ball," Ryu started then trailed off when Sakura held up her hand to stop him.

"Hold on, Winter Ball?"

"It's held annually like the tournament and the students love it. The girls participate in a dress contest and the boys participate for best prince. As usual, it's superficial on the girls part and all brawn no brains for the boys," Syaoran explained with a roll of his eyeballs.

They laughed at the ridiculous truth of this.

"Okay, now I have my paper on Amber Academy traditions, thank you so much for helping with my homework," Sakura said sarcastically and then Syaoran's chest fidgeting, trying to get comfortable. "Now can you please tell me about your love affair story?" She asked Ryu and Meiling.

"You're welcome," Ryu smiled. "It was the entire gang's first ball, which was a masquerade," He added on. "Everyone looked absolutely ridiculous and our hands were starting to go numb from holding up our masks." Sakura grinnned at this. "It was a couples ball, and I went with my cousin—very pathetic, I know—Syaoran ditched that dance since he didn't have a girlfriend since he's extremely picky."

At this, Sakura twisted around to face Syaoran with an amused expression. Syaoran just grinned widely at her and used his hands to force her to turn back to Ryu. Sakura couldn't stop the bubbles of happiness welling up inside of her, she was finally good enough for someone.

"Eriol and Meiling were together, so he begged me to do something since he was utterly bored. I snagged Meiling and we just danced together. I'm so glad they called of the arranged marriage between Meiling and Eriol—imagine it, cousins married!" Ryu shuddered at the thought.

"Eriol danced with Tomoyo and that was the first time I've ever seen her trademark red face," Meiling couldn't help herself from revealing this piece of information.

"She does tend to do that a lot, doesn't she?" Sakura raised both eyebrows.

"Where is Tomoyo?" Syaoran asked.

"With Eriol," Meiling promptly said.

They all snickered at the realization.

Sakura hid it well, but Amber Academy wasn't such a drag as she originally thought. There was definitely perks especially when Meiling gave her the official memo that Headmistress Gracia planned to post the next day, but told Meiling to show it to Sakura in advance.

_Dear students of Amber Academy,_

_Due to yesterday's act of rebellion from Sakura Kinomoto regarding the rule of only princes' can join the annual fighting competition,_

_I decree that the princesses are also allowed to join next year._

_Next year's competition will take place a week before Christmas. _

_Thank you, for your cooperation._

_Official_

_Headmistress Gracia_

And another note:

_Dear Sakura Kinomoto, you will be moving into Dorm 1600. The residents in Dorm 1600 are: Tomoyo Dadouji, Meiling Li._


	8. Chapter 8

The Next Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS, only my characters and plot. **

**Chapter 8**

"Wake up Sakura!" Meiling and Tomoyo exasperately stood at the foot of Sakura's new bed in their dorm.

"Wake her up," Meiling threw her hands up in surrender and left the dorm room so her starving stomach could be satisfied.

Tomoyo glared at Meiling for leaving her with such a daunting task. "That's it," Tomoyo marched for the bathroom with a bucket. Yep, you know what's coming next:

"TOMOYO!!" The scream was echoed through the entire empty corridor since everyone was already gone . . . somewhere.

"Get up, Meiling and I are going to breakfast, we'll see you in a few."

Sakura yawned, as she got up drenched, and headed for her closet. Since it wasn't exactly an official school day yet—she could wear regular clothes today. She selected an outfit she knew Meiling would die over and Tomoyo would think she'd gone crazy. Yep, she was wearing a skirt. Sakura was an a shock-people mood today.

Sakura opened the door to her dorm and walked down the hallway to the cafeteria.

Ryu, Syaoran, Eriol, Meiling and Tomoyo were waiting for her at their usual table next to windows but in the shadows.

Sakura sat in the vacant seat next to Syaoran. Syaoran gave her a rare secret smile and slid her customary bottle of water to her.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do this," Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"That's why you're paying me back," Syaoran laughed.

Sakura slowly smiled. Someone finally understood her need for independence that she had gained from betrayal.

Tomoyo shooked her head and said to Meiling. "Look at them, they act like a married couple."

Sakura and Syaoran turned their death-glares at Tomoyo and said simaltaneously: "We do not!"

Meiling smirked. "Nah, they argue more like an ancient couple, right?" She stared long and hard at the S couple. Reluctantly the two nodded slowly. They were going to wait until they were sure they wouldn't break up two weeks after getting together . . . but, oh well. This announcement prompted bulged eyes from Eriol and Tomoyo.

Since the cat's out of the bag, Sakura thought 'ah, screw it' while unscrewing the cap and turned to kiss Syaoran long and hard. Syaoran obviously enjoyed it as he gripped the tops of her arms and reveled in the sweet taste of her mouth.

Yeah, that did it. Eriol and Tomoyo spat out their drinks at Ryu and Meiling who didn't look surprised at all.

"Gross Tomoyo," Meiling looked disgusted as Ryu gently wiped off the liquid off her face.

"Well, excuse me for being shocked, why aren't you that these two got together?" Tomoyo dramatically flung her hand towards an amused Sakura and Syaoran.

"Actually, no," Ryu said. "They were making out when we met up with them in the library."

"At least I didn't fuck her the minute we were a couple like you and Meiling," Syaoran growled protectively as he slung an arm around Sakura. Sakura didn't shrug him off surprisingly, apparently understanding that he was just defending her honor . . . and virtue.

Meiling and Ryu blushed severely, but their embarassment lasted a milisecond when Tomoyo started wailing, "How could I miss filming that?" She put her head into her folded arms on the cafeteria table.

Then suddenly jumped right back up into her typical hyperness and squealed with joy and launched herself at Sakura, nearly strangling her: "About time! At least you guys aren't the couple who are naïve to what's in front of them and don't realize until something big happens and then finally get together after five years!" She rambled. "You guys are such a kawaii couple!!" She squealed a couple more times then let go.

"Hypocrite," Ryu whispered to Meiling. Meiling nodded, and said "You watch waaaaaaaaaay too many chick flicks," Meiling murmured as Ryu continued massaging her shoulders. She had a dance exam in two hours, and damn was she stressed.

Eriol recovered from his shock, blinked once, and leaned torwards Syaoran, "About time." He grinned a Cheshire cat smile. Syaoran chose to ignore him and stabbed viciously at his plate of rabbit lettuce and carrots.

Eriol was spared from an early death when a pigtailed-girl walked up to the table with a white-faced boyfriend on her arm. "Thank you Kinomoto-sama, now I can finally beat up my boyfriend for not telling the truth!"

"Oh, please, don't call me sama, I really didn't do anything special—besides breaking the rules," Sakura said dryly. "What's your name?"

"This is Chiharu and that's Yamazaki," Syaoran cut in.

"Excuse me, I can introduce myself," Chiharu said, scandalized.

"Sorry, I had to cut in before Yamazaki here started blabbing about the—no doubt false—origins of his name."

Yamazaki, Chiharu, Sakura frowned as she lost herself in thought. Why do those names sound so familiar? Oh, wait, Yamazaki was the guy that Eriol and Syaoran were talking to during the tournament, and Eriol mentioned Chiharu when he was trying to freak Yamazaki out.

"You're a good liar Yamazaki, but I think you should stick to truths because I have a feeling that this girl can kick ass," Sakura nodded at the brunette.

Chiharu smirked, "Hell yeah." She glared at her boyfriend, and skipped happily off, dragging him behind her to their table.

Not long after Chiharu congratulated Sakura, hordes of pro-feminist girls surrounded their mainly obscure table to gush Sakura's achievement in silver tongues. When they finally left, Sakura sighed in relief.

"You're famous now, girl," Tomoyo said, laughing.

"Oh, shut up," Sakura rolled her eyes.

"No, seriously," Tomoyo said. "Almost all the ass-kicking girls here are, now, like worshipping you. You changed a rule they all absolutely loathed!"

"Yeah. Okay. Whatever. Can we change the subject now?" Sakura honestly didn't think it was so much of a deal that girls here were woshipping her now. She just did something that she felt was right and naturally rebellled against a rule she hated.

"Here's a good question, what are you wearing Sakura?" Tomoyo looked at Sakura's outfit.

"You don't like?" Sakura pretended to sound hurt.

"Of course I like!" Tomoyo said. "But it's not your typical outfit, is it?"

"Nope, but I like freaking people out! What do you guys want to do today?" Sakura asked.

"No training, please! I'm still bruised from yesterday." Eriol said.

Sakura looked at Syaoran. They both rolled their eyes. "Hiirigizawa—you get bruised easier than a girl." Syaoran said.

Sakura picked up one of Tomoyo's bread rolls and threw it at Syaoran.

"OI! What was that for!?" Syaoran yelped.

"For saying girls get bruised easily!" Sakura glared at Syaoran. Syaoran brushed the crumbs off his jacket.

"Fine, if it helps, I like your outfit," Syaoran whispered so lowly that only she could hear. Sakura smiled slightly and shivered when she felt his fingertips trail up her back through the thin material of her top.

Eriol stared at the couples surrounding him, jealous that he could never work up enough courage to ask Tomoyo out.

Miss Isaki ruined the mood when she stopped by their table, handed an envelope to Sakura, and swept out of the room. All while looking like the bitch she was with a mighty high wrinkled nose, cold hawk-like eyes, and a twisted snarl of a smile.

"What is it?" Syaoran leaned over to look at it. Sakura slapped his hand away from the envelope. "Hey!" He pouted. Sakura smiled and tried to open it.

"It's sealed shut." She wrestled with it, but all of her struggles fell flat, even attempting to rip it in halves didn't work.

"Here, let me," Eriol offered. His finger glowed blue and he traced his finger on the edge of the envelope and it magically opened.

"Show off," Tomoyo said.

"Oh, please," Meiling muttered. "You love it whenever your love puppy shows off."

"What?" Eriol asked.

"Oh, nothing," Meiling plastered on a fake smile coincidentally enough at the same time Tomoyo sharply elbowed her in the ribs. Eriol looked suspiciously at her and gave up not wanting another spoon incident to happen.

Sakura withdrew a thick, creamy, textured sheet of parchment and scanned it. Her jaw dropped. "No," She exhaled. "No, no, it's already time?" She struggled to breathe.

Syaoran grapsed her by the shoulders. "Breathe Sakura, breathe," His amber eyes searched her bright emerald ones.

"What's wrong?" Eriol asked concerned. .

"My coronation . . . is on," Sakura struggled to breathe. ". . .the third of May."

"So soon? You aren't even 18 yet!" Syaoran stared at her in confusion.

"I don't know," Sakura rubbed her forehead as her head swirled in confusion and worry. How could she become Queen to a whole kingdom? Would she be good enough? Millions of questions plagued her. Syaoran, seeing this, tried to comfort her.

"Maybe it's because—" Eriol got cut off as the lights suddenly went out.

"What's going on?!" Tomoyo asked—her voice quivered.

"It's probably nothing, maybe it's a black out." Eriol thought out loud.

Meiling looked at Eriol. "What?"

"You idiot! The power in this academy is completely runned on magic—and that source is always protected!"

Everybody in the cafeteria screamed as the chandeliers erupted into fire. Sakura raised her arms to try to protect herself from the sparks flying from the chandeliers.

'_What the hell is going on!?' _ She thought as bedlam let loose in the academy.


	9. Chapter 9

Sakura ran swiftly with Syaoran beside her at a lightning pace, the others at their ankles, towards the exit

**Disclaimer: I don't own CCS--wails I'm poor, don't prosecute me! **

**Chapter 9**

Sakura ran swiftly with Syaoran beside her at a lightning pace, the others at their ankles, towards the exit. Syaoran tugged on the doors, desperatedly. It didn't budge. Sakura looked behind, the dark fire had began consuming the next corridor behind them. Sakura desperatedly stared at Eriol.

Eriol threw a bolt of energy at the door with brutal force.

They raced out just in time before the dark fire enfulged the hallway they were just running through.

Sakura didn't turn around until after they passed the valley of hills that seperated the academy from civilization.

Tomoyo put her head on Eriol's shoulder, who was surprised at the body contact. But wrapped his arms around Tomoyo's tiny waist in return. Tomoyo's entire body began trembling. She was obviously shaken by the cruel destruction of Amber Academy.

"Let's get away from here," Meiling suggested, her voice coarse and weak from the ammount of extertion she put into running.

Tomoyo fought back a sob and raised her head slightly. "Where to?" Her voice also raspy.

Meiling pointed across a road that, on the other side housed about 63 per cent of Amber's surviving population.

Syaoran led the way, his face a solemn mask. Sakura trailed behind, not sure how to feel. She hadn't been at Amber Academy long enough to feel as strongly about it as Tomoyo. But . . .

When they neared, Sakura saw a lump sitting on a fallen log swathed in royal blue fabric. Oh, she realized as she drew closer. It was the headmistress. Headmistress Gracia's normal, regal posture was slumped over in distress. Sadness radiated from the unrecognizable figure. Several princesses hovered around the headmistress not sure how to respond.

Sakura hesitantedly took a step forward. Suddenly, one of the hovering princesses turned towards Sakura.

"Don't you touch her," the princess snapped.

It was Princess Dermia, a girl who was in Sakura' fighting class and had been former champion until Sakura showed up.

Sakura coolly stared back, her face impassive.

Syaoran watched this exchange with growing nervousness. Not for Dermia, but for Sakura.

"I don't see you doing any thing helpful," Sakura bit back.

Dermia's eyes flashed with ingdination and maybe . . . guilt?

"Well, you certainly haven't done _anything _helpful for Amber ever since you came here! All you've done is destroy one of the academy's longest traditions," she ranted.

Sakura watched, amused.

"I bet you were the one who set Amber Academy on fire!" Dermia bursted out, finally noticing Sakura's amusement.

Sakura flinched. Syaoran growled and stepped in front of Sakura. Sakura's eye widened in surprise. All of the people gasped, Gracia looked up, her expression unfathomable.

"How dare you say that," Syaoran roared, glaring at Dermia.

"You have no proof," Meiling stepped in beside her cousin, her face set in hard stone.

Tomoyo pushed herself off of Eriol and slapped Dermia. Dermia held her cheek, and glowered at Tomoyo. Tomoyo glared right back, her anger so much more impressive than Dermia.

"You idiot," Tomoyo said. Her voice low and deadly. "You realize you demoting yourself by accusing someone with no proof whatsoever. That fire that ran through Amber was dark fire. That fire was internal. You know that. The source of Amber Academy's power has been killed."

Dermia huffed a sigh and stomped away to the shade or a pine tree, angrily. She sat down and stared into space, moodily.

After Tomoyo's speech, everyone seemed to have regained their senses. Gracia walked to the center of the area and annouced, "We are setting camp here. We will stay here until we find the source of Amber's misshap. No one is to return to the Academy. No one," As she said the last with familiar authority and firmness.

Eriol sighed in relief, Gracia was finally back to her normal self which means everyone else will be less stressed.

The rest of the night was less painful. Tomoyo and Sakura sat next to each other one a log and braided each others hair, like they used to do when they were 5. People were quiet, staring at the raising fire and looking up at the stars coming out in the darkening sky.

Dermia joined the group again sitting next to Headmistress Renalia. Syaoran could hear them talking lowly, but only managed to grasp a few words, "she deserves . . . wait . . . she must . . . bad."

After a while, all of the princesses began falling asleep, their boyfriends cradled them in their arms, as they leaned against moss-covered trees.

"Lets sleep here," Meiling suggested softly as she lead her friends to a circle of trees.

"Sure."

Tomoyo was already asleep, Eriol had gathered her gently in his arms and leaned against a tree and . . . began snoring.

Sakura stifled a snicker, Syaoran smirked.

"Meiling!" A strangled-like shout startled them. Everyone whipped around.

It was Ryu. He had a panicked, terrified, haunted look on his face. "Thank God you're safe," He lowered his head into the crook of Meiling's neck, inhaling her scent. It is obvious that he was terrified that she had been one of the ones that didn't make it.

"Shh, don't worry," Meiling whispered reassuringly as she wrapped her arms around his neck, shaking since she was worried that _he _was dead. They stood like that for a while, Sakura and Syaoran stood, illuminated by the moonlight, looking like fallen angels carved from stone.

"Do you want to share a tree with me?" Ryu smiled slightly, audibly still shaken.

This broke the tension a little bit.

Meiling played along, curtseying, "I shan't dare disappoint such a lovely fellow," she teased with unshed tears in her eyes.

After Meiling and Ryu leaned against the tree, their troubled faces showing just how deep their love went, only did Sakura and Syaoran unfroze.

"Do you want to share?" Syaoran asked, thankful for the dark light that masked his blush.

"Sure," Sakura whispered. But instead of walking to the tree, she walked to a fallen log lied down on her front on the log, her head slightly off the log, her emerald eyes suddenly as vacant and haunted as they were when she first started the Academy.

Syaoran realized that she wasn't tired and wanted to think things through, sighed as his features contorted in anguish at her pain, walked over to the log and sat down. Sakura, feeling extremely nervous lying down with Syaoran around, immediately sat up, almost falling on her face in the process. Syaoran reached out his hand to steady her, and instead of promptly pulling back after Sakura was righted, he instead gently let her upper body fall onto his lap.

They sat in silence for a while, Syaoran stroking her hair and forehead, until Sakura looked at him. "Why did you defend me?" She asked. She was so quiet Syaoran almost didn't hear her.

"Why do you ask? Do you wish I had not?"

Sakura mildly shooked her head. "No. It's just that why would you defend me? Even if you were my boyfriend," She quickly added on.

"I guess it's because . . . ," Syaoran stared off in thought.

"Because?" Sakura probed.

"Even though I know you can defend yourself, I feel more in tune with you than any one else I've ever met and I just didn't want you to be blamed," Syaoran didn't realized he was saying his thoughts. He turned red when he realized what he had just done.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks."

Syaoran nodded, turning away from her. He was embarassed, no matter what Sakura said. That was the first time he hadn't censored his thoughts around somebody.

"I appreciate you guys for standing up for me. No one has done that for a long time," Sakura paused to push a strand of hair over her ear.

Syaoran was outraged. "Why is that?!" He demanded.

"Well . . . it probably has to do with the fact that everyone thought I was a mass muderer or something?" Sakura said, dryly.

"Why did everyone think you were a mass muderer? I never understood that." Syaoran was curious.

Sakura's face fell, images haunted her. She inhaled briskly. "Someone murdered my uncles; Luke, Blake, my parents and older brother. When the police arrived, apparently, I was surrounded by white light and my uncles' bodies, and they assumed I killed them, even though I arrived much, much later after their death to the crime scene."

Syaoran frowned. White light? "White light, according to Meiling, is shone during extensive healing," He said

"Renalia, Blake's wife, escaped when the police showed up, so I hate that betrayer," Sakura's voice dripped with whispered malice. Syaoran winced at her blatant rebel show that he usually never saw.

"Sonomi was upstairs in the castle; she looked out the window and saw me being taken away. She couldn't do anything, nor could've she made it in time, and I don't blame her since she was probably tending to my parents. Tomoyo left with her father in the morning after we played together so I had no witnesses. I was then tossed into jail, when I heard my parents died, I escaped I was booted around in about thirty deranged foster families."

He made to ask more questions, but stopped when he saw Sakura's eyes welling up in rememberance of her past. "I won't ask you any more," Syaoran brushed his lips across her forehead. He wanted to know more but he didn't want to

Sakura hugged him. She was grateful for his non-prying ways and stood up. "That would be my life story, rebelling against everything because of a futile mistake," Sakura rolled her eyes and walked over to the tree, "Lets sleep."

"Really?" Syaoran raised his eyebrows.

"At least I'll be comfortable," Sakura said with a smirk.

"Shut up," Syaoran grumbled. Sakura smiled and leaned against him. On instinct, his arms wrapped against her waist and pulled her near his chest. Sakura didn't pay any attention. In fact, she snuggled even closer and quickly brushed her lips against his. Syaoran smiled briefly in content, already falling into deep slumber.


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the late update

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters, they belong the one and only CLAMP. I only own Amber Academy (which is kind of, well, gone—for now), and this plotline. If I see any one copying my plot—beware. bares teeth. **

**Chapter Ten**

Sakura jerked awake in the dead of night, her eyes were glazed over mysteriously as they came across a silver point of light bobbing in midair. Sakura didn't rub her eyes in disbelief; she smoothly got up and left Syaoran without him noticing, her eyes never leaving the light.

It beckoned towards her, laughing. It paused for a moment. Sakura walked towards the light, which was gathering in size into a softball-like size. Sakura's steps were fast and deliberate.

The light plunged into the forest depths. Sakura ran after it as if the light was her lost love. Sakura tripped over a tree root, landing hard enough for blood to drip. Sakura didn't curse like she normally would; she got up and continued chasing the mysterious light.

Sakura broke through the stretch of woods. The scenery she was now in was beautiful in the darkened night. There was a glistening lake in the center of a small cleared area, surrounded by thick forest. Sakura heed no attention to the nighttime beauty and promptly walked into the lake. The next step she took nearly brought her down. The lake's waters were bone-chilling cold, but Sakura looked as if she was in a sauna. She struggled against the choppy waters as she forced herself to the sphere of light, which was directly beneath the illuminating crescent moon.

Sakura stood in the center of the lake, breaking the reflection of the moon in the lake. She reached upwards for the sphere. Her hands effortlessly broke through the light, scattering washes of silver dancing through the air. She bought her arms down, twining them and then to her face, cupping her hands. In her cupped hands was a necklace. She grasped the necklace like a child grasping her mother's hand.

She hooked the clasps of the pendant around her neck, her face pleased and triumph the dominate expression.

Sakura looked up at the moon and suddenly something in her expression shifted. Sakura looked as if an arrow had struck her. She fell to her knees and collapsed gracefully, her entire body submerged underwater, resting on the sandy bed, her expression peaceful as if she were sleeping, her hands grasping at the necklace.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the late update—but I promise I'll have at least 3 chapters up before the second week of January

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine and mine only except for the plot, Amber Academy, the headmistress, Princess Dermia, Gracia, Ryu, and so on so forth . . . Everything else is CLAMP's creation and I have no intention of fringing upon the copyright. Got it? **

**Chapter Eleven**

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura_, wake up!!_" A frantic voice cut through the dreamy haze Sakura was floating through. Sakura felt herself remerging from deep, deep slumber, still in Syaoran's arms.

Meiling and Tomoyo hovered in front of her, their faces anxious. "Are you alright Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, concerned. She didn't like the look and aura Sakura was giving off. The air around Sakura was just so—so relaxed but tense at the same time.

Syaoran practically shoved Sakura off of him.

"Hey!" Sakura yelled at him and she crashed into Eriol, who quickly steadied her, with every intention of flinging this heavy stone that was near her foot.

"I'm sorry, but you're wet," Syaoran said apologetically, as he wiped traces of water from his clothes.

Sakura glanced down in shock. She couldn't believe she didn't notice it before, her hair was dripping water, and her clothes were soaked. She felt a draft going through and chilling her through her bones.

"It's s-s-so cold," Sakura tried to keep herself from whimpering, but the ice chill froze her heart—it was the most abnormal cold in the world. It seemed to be coming from inside of her.

Meiling gave her a strange look. "What do you mean, it's cold? The sun is shining full-bright."

Sakura looked up at the sky. All she could see were darkness, and grey clouds rolling over and over across the sky. She felt thunder reverberating through her legs.

"It's not sunny—look, a thunderstorm is coming!" Sakura said, she jabbed her finger upwards, hysterically.

Meiling and Syaoran exchanged a look that screamed 'this girl is crazy.'

"Are you okay, Sakura? You're not acting like yourself," Meiling moved towards the hysteric girl. Sakura moved away, flinching all the while.

Sakura was creating such a commotion; a crowd drew around the girls. Princess Dermia pushed and elbowed her way through the throng of people and got to the front. Meiling groaned at the sight of Princess Dermia. Tomoyo hissed to Meiling, "Get her away from here!"

Meiling shot back, "How?! Wherever Sakura goes, whatever she does—she always draws a crowd for good or bad!"

"She's right," Eriol pointed out.

Ryu spoke up. "There's no way we can shield Sakura like this. Besides why the heck is she like this? Did she take some drugs or something in the middle of the night?"

"Sakura would never take drugs, you idiot!" Tomoyo joined in with a death glare that was quite fierce.

"Don't call my fiancé an idiot!" Meiling nearly bit Tomoyo's head off.

"People, calm down!" Eriol tried to mediate the situation. The bickering stopped the minute Princess Dermia finally managed to get to the front of the crowd.

"Look at this," Princess Dermia drawled. She smirked as she walked toward the maddened Sakura who began failing her arms about. Dermia laughed coldly and advanced again towards Sakura.

Dermia suddenly stopped.

"Why aren't you moving, Dermia? Scared?" Syaoran taunted.

"Uh, n-no," Dermia murmured. Her demeanor changed, Dermia was staring at Sakura like she was her Queen. Syaoran followed Dermia's line of eye direction. It ended near Sakura's neckline. A beautiful necklace that was a hundred times more gorgeous and exquisite than any stupid medal that he won in the tournaments.

It was crafted of delicate silver necklace, a pendant hung from the silver. The pendant was a heart carved from amethyst, white diamond wings hung from the heart, and a ruby crescent moon pressed to the center from the heart. Minimalist than most pendants, but so extraordinarily wonderful, still and emitted a strange and powerful presence.

"Where did you get that?" Dermia demanded, pointing at the pendant.

Sakura seemed to snap out of it and come back down to Earth. "What necklace?" She demanded.

"The one around your neck," Syaoran said sarcastically.

Sakura grabbed the necklace and pulled it up, examining it at every angle. "This is so beautiful," Sakura breathed.

"Hold on, you didn't know you had a necklace around your neck? Did you steal it or something?" Dermia raised an eyebrow.

"I don't steal stuff!" Sakura retorted back, her voice filled with acid—yep, she was definitely okay now.

Dermia looked skeptical, but her head snapped towards Headmistress Garcia who was looking at her intensely. Dermia turned back to Sakura. "What?!" Sakura said who was getting freaked out by Dermia.

"Come," Dermia gestured towards Sakura.

Sakura looked _really _pissed off. "And what makes you think I'm going to listen to you after to insulted me to the last of the seven hells yesterday?!"

"You will follow me because you will," Dermia locked eyes with Sakura. Sakura felt a jolt of energy strummed through her body, she couldn't help it. She stepped forward.

"Don't go!" Meiling said exasperatedly.

Sakura tried to talk, but no sound was wrenched from her throat. When Dermia and Sakura reached a private edge of the forest, Sakura found she could move voluntarily again. So, the first thing she did was glare at Dermia.

"What did you do to me?" Sakura growled.

"Sit down," Dermia gestured at log. When Sakura didn't comply, Dermia spat, "Do you want me to control you again?"

Sakura's eyes widened in shock, she promptly sat down.

Dermia smiled satisfactory.

"Thank you Dermia that will be enough."

Sakura whipped around, her eyes widening at the sight of Headmistress Gracia coming out from the shadows.

Dermia bowed and left.

Sakura opened her mouth but immediately closed it when Gracia gave her a _look. _Sakura waited impatiently as Headmistress Gracia sat down carefully on a log.

She opened her mouth again, but Gracia beat her to the chase. "Where did you get this necklace?"

Sakura shooked her head angrily, "I did not steal it, no matter what Dermia says! You know I didn't! I don't know where it came from!" Sakura protested defensively.

Gracia just looked thoughtful, and stared out into the distance. She looked back at Sakura. "It is about to thunder-storm today."

Sakura just stared completely clueless. What did the weather have to do anything?

"Yet, you can feel the vibrations hours before the actual time of rain," Gracia continued.

Sakura froze. Was that what happened during her episode? Oh, crap. This can't be good.

"Dermia," Gracia called out. She suddenly appeared behind Sakura, scaring the shit out of Sakura. "Please fetch Miss Kinomoto a towel from your bag."

Dermia murmured 'of course', and came back milliseconds later with a towel. She lowered her head, and handed it to Sakura.

This was another thing that completely bewildered Sakura.

"Do you not want to dry off?" Gracia gestured towards Sakura's present state.

Sakura shooked her head firmly, "Not until you tell me what is going on! What does this necklace have to do with anything? Why's Dermia being nice to me? How do you know what my insane craziness tactics really are? I even didn't know! Tell me!" Sakura demanded, not even bothering to be polite any more.

Gracia sighed. She gently placed her hands on Sakura's shoulders, being able to reach up to Sakura's 5'8" frame while sitting down, and forced her down. Sakura landed with a plop, not at all graceful. Sakura scowled, but got the hint. She began running the towel through her hair, blotting out the moisture.

"First thing is first, do you know my real name?" Gracia looked at Sakura seriously.

Sakura stopped her movement. "Isn't Gracia your real name?"

Gracia sighed. "I supposed you do not know this," she looked back up at Sakura, "My real name is Renalia Tresten."

Sakura's jaw dropped. There's was no freakin' way the person that made her parents betray her was standing in front of her! This was the woman that framed Sakura for the murder of the most respected governor and her uncle in her kingdom! Sakura never felt so much hatred for a person well up inside her. Her cold façade broke, and to her horror, angry tears filled up her eyes. She wanted to punch Renalia into pulp—even better cut her in half with a knife to draw Renalia's death out.

Sakura took in a shaky breath. She didn't want to stand next to the biggest bitch in the world. She didn't want to lose control. She abruptly stood up, and flung the towel to the floor. She made to storm off, but found she couldn't move her limbs. Through her peripheral vision, she spied Dermia lurking in he woods.

"Come out here!" Sakura screeched with anger, glad that she could, at the very least move her jaw.

Dermia came out into the clearing, her hands still up, and crackling with electric blue magic. She pushed Sakura with magic back onto the log, and the energy dissipated from her hands. Sakura strained to get up, but it was like she was frozen to the log!

"Don't bother," Dermia said easily. "That spell lasts for how ever long I want it to last."

Sakura couldn't snap Dermia's disgusting jaw in half due to the fact she was immobile, but glaring at her was just as satisfying.

"What do you want with me?" Sakura growled. "Here to frame me some more, to get more people to disgust and hate me?"

"Would you come down and listen?!" Renalia that was formerly Sakura's favorite headmistress Gracia, erupted.

"So, this is your true self" Sakura sneered. Sakura could felt heated hatred burning at her wrists, and ankles which were as un-moving as they would be encased in a block of ice. Her face was flushed with anger.

Sakura looked carefully at Renalia, who was standing tall and proud. How could she miss such a thing? Renalia had the same lithe, tall body build as Sakura, Tomoyo, Nadeshiko and Sonomi all had in common. Her eyes held the same laughter. Her mouth curved the same way in smile or smirk. Even her hair had the precise same curl to it. She should've known it from the minute she looked at Renalia—heck, she even guessed it from identifying:

_While Gracia was reassuring the teachers of Sakura's aunt's decision, Sakura studied Gracia's features more carefully. She nearly laughed, Gracia looked so much like a headmistress—the top ranking position, in a top ranking academy—that she almost looked royal; Gracia could be Sakura's distant, distant long-lost cousin of her mother!_

_There were a few exceptions, her hair wasn't as wild and curly as Sakura's but still had a slight wave, and was more brown than auburn. Gracia's features were also a bit too soft, and not delicately sharp as Sakura's, but still very beautiful. Her eyes were also much narrower than Sakura's large emerald eyes. She looked more like Sonomi or Tomoyo._

Even though Renalia was not of the same blood, she looked very similar to all of the female line of Avalon Kingdom. When she was small, Renalia was around her all the time, long before she married her mother's sister's brother. Sakura berated herself for not recognizing Renalia's true nature sooner.

A memory hit Sakura as clear as day. When she was about 6 years old, the days of clear sunshine and happy family days before any of her scorning began, her mother showed her their family tree. Nadeshiko let Sakura's chubby 6-year-old hands trail the delicate parchment. As heir to the throne, Sakura was to memorize the entire family tree, and she did it with ease since her mother taught her how to memorize it easily. Sakura visualized the frail, colorful tapestry in her head. Sonomi and Nadeshiko's brother was Blake Tresten. He married Renalia, a commoner.

Sakura's eyes turned into glittering emerald ice remembering Renalia's betrayal. Of course a commoner would betray her royal family, she probably only wanted to marry Blake because of the money involved.

"That is just the thing. I did not kill you parents, and frame you." Renalia crouched before Sakura, and said softly, looking into Sakura's eyes. Sakura couldn't wrench her eyes away from Renalia's tantalizing silvery-blue eyes.

"Yeah, uh-huh, sure that's right." Sakura snorted.

"Why don't you let Renalia talk, and you listen?" Dermia broke in. "Bitch," she added as an afterthought.

"When you turned 7, I married Blake. Then you turned 13 Matthew, my father, who was a very vengeful person and held personal hatred against Blake because he was a so much better governor than my old man, killed my husband," Renalia broke off, as her voice turned like she was choking. "Sonomi and I managed to stop him in time from killing your parents. The hatred blast of magic that my father sent out managed to kill Sonomi's husband and seriously harm your parents."

Renalia paused to catch her breath. "I was 3 months pregnant at the time with Blake's baby."

Sakura sharply exhaled.

"You were out playing in the gardens when this happened, and the rest you know is history . . ."

Oh, it was history all right.

Sakura told Syaoran a very bare-bone skeleton of her past, but there was so much more involved. She remembered all too clearly the police arresting her, after she accidentally let out a burst of magic as she fell to her knees, which the police think killed Blake and Sonomi's husband; Luke, even though he was already dead. That glassy-eyed look that only belonged to the dead that still haunted her several times a week.

She remembered being handcuffed, and being led away like a dog, and no one was there to see her captured. She remembered seeing Sonomi's face in the window, but Sonomi was not doing anything to save her. As well, as seeing Renalia scurrying out of the palace through the tall garden hedges, with a slight bulge in her stomach. She remembered playing with Tomoyo the day just before her arrest. She remembered breaking out of prison. She remembered being moved around in the uncaring foster family system.

The rest of her life led up to Renalia's current confession.

"Sonomi contacted me later on, saying she understood why I ran away. The only reason why I left was not because I wanted you to be framed, it was because my father escaped, and I know if the police found out my father killed Blake and Luke, I would be sent to jail. I didn't want the last reminder of Blake to die."

Sakura nodded. The justice system had only come into being in Avalon Kingdom a couple of years ago, right around when she was 15. But, it was incredibly harsh—any direct members of killers would be sent to jail if the actual murderer could not be found. Sort of like the old Roman justice system. Sonomi being her aunt didn't get sent to jail.

"Sonomi told me how she didn't save you because she was concentrating very intently on trying to save your parents."

Renalia tilted her head back, letting her fingers run through her hair luxuriously, with her face towards the sun. She turned back to Sakura who just looked back at her, her face void of strong emotion.

Sakura was in jail for 8 months—they didn't have a strong justice system, so juveniles were sent to jail for 8 months. When none of her friends came to bail her out, then she was shipped around to foster families. Sakura learned that her parents died the second week she was in jail.

"Tomoyo had no idea about your situation and was extremely worried about you, that is what Sonomi told me," Renalia smiled.

"I asked Sonomi that if you ever get caught, to bring you to Amber Academy. After all, it was a good legit excuse to see you again. I was the heir to the headmistress throne since my mother came from a long line of headmistresses at the Academy, and I was actually the headmistress when you were 5. So, after you got caught, she told me and I finally was able to use that slot I'd been saving for years."

"How did she contact you?" Sakura interrupted.

"She became a judge when you turned 15. As you know, before she was already one of the few successful lawyers before the justice system was secured. Luke was the manager of their company that combines legal and commercial products—very hard to do."

"The Academy was originally named Midnight Sun Academy, but I renamed it Amber, as that was what color Blake, Luke and Fujitaka eyes' were. And I tried to teach prince and princesses the proper way to use magic, so they would not abuse it like my dad did."

Sakura smiled thinly to show she was listening. She had actually been wondering about the origins of Amber Academy after it was burned down.

"Where's your son, surely you have given birth by now?" Sakura inquired, managing to somehow raise her eyebrow even under immobility.

"Oh, Evan?" Renalia looked surprised the Sakura would question her about her son. "He lives with my mom right now. She's still alive and kicking, I'm in my late 20s and I'm a headmistress, so I can't live with Evan all the time right now. But, when the Academy was still intact, I pop in on weekends."

"Um, can I move now?" Sakura questioned awkwardly.

"Of course, Dermia?" Renalia nodded towards the Princess.

Sakura stretched out and began clenching and tightening different muscle groups to get back use to the sensation of moving. It was really quite weird now. Able-bodied people were truly lucky people. After she was done, she turned back to Renalia.

"Why is Dermia under your control?"

"Control?" Dermia butted in. "Um, no. Not likely. More like Miss Isaki's daughter."

Sakura looked horrified. Dermia couldn't help but giggle. "You poor, poor child," Sakura shook her head and returned her attention to Renalia who looked hopeful, like a vulnerable child.

"I believe your story." Sakura simply crossed her arms.

Renalia looked relieved, and bursted into tears. Sakura just stood there, feeling weird. "Um, are you al right?"

"To think about the horrible things my dad did, and what I did to you—how could I have scarred you for life?!" Renalia sobbed into her hands.

"It's all right. Really, it is all right."

Renalia looked up at Sakura, tears running down her cheeks. "Really?"

Sakura nodded then added on, "But . . ."

Renalia looked nervous.

"I'm grateful to you for clearing up the air for a lot of things, but what does this have to do with my heightened emotions, Amber Academy's melt down, my parents, or this necklace?" Sakura pointed at the necklace.

"Oh, that. Okay, that I can answer!" Renalia laughed, looking relieved. "You might want to sit down again."

Sakura winced. "No thank you, I had enough of that log for the rest of my life."

"You are the heir to the throne, are you not?" Renalia looked pointedly at Sakura. Sakura nodded, having no idea where this was heading.

"Then that necklace proves it's time for you to step up to the plate and serve your initiation test."

"What initiation test?" Sakura asked, shifting nervously her weight from one foot to another.

"Oh, didn't your mother or Sonomi tell you about this?" Sakura shook her head.

"That necklace is the most precious inheritance in the entire kingdom. It's been passed through all the Queens in Avalon for centuries. Whenever the Queen steps down from the throne, the necklace is taken off and somehow disappears. When the kingdom is in gigantic trouble, the next Queen in line somehow finds it again and then that is the time to show what she truly is made of."

"The necklace has found you. The kingdom is now in trouble. This is your official initiation test. If the necklace is still on your neck when you go to coronation, then you are allowed to step up to the throne. If not . . . an alternate is chosen. Your mother, grandmother, so on so forth had to take this test."

"Some of your magic powers are completely dormant until your test time. That's why the necklace makes you feel so weird. The necklace heightens all your powers, and since your powers are starting to come out—the whole combination makes for some really overflowing sensations."

Sakura fingered the necklace, shocked that such a beautiful necklace could hold so much importance in the world.

"Shit. My coronation is in a month, this isn't good." Sakura cursed. Crap. This isn't good. She had no freaking idea how the kingdom was in trouble. She replayed that to Renalia.

Renalia looked sad. "I think I know."

"What is the destruction that's doomed upon Avalon?" Sakura demanded.

"My father is back on attack." Renalia said, plopping down on the log, and staring sadly at the ground.

"Oh, fuck," Sakura cursed. "That can't be good."

"No, it is not." Renalia agreed.

"He wants to take down every single person who has ever stood in his way of getting to the top, or wants him to change."

Sakura snorted. She knew from experience people shouldn't change themselves to please others, but this was just downright crazy! If you have psychological issues where you would murder someone who was better than you—you should change.

"When I went home one day, mom said her close friends had received threatening letters from my dad asking where her location was. I was scared for Violet (Renalia's mom), and Evan so I told them relocate. Anywhere. I told them not to tell me where they were, in case Matthew (Renalia's dad) intercepted the letter."

"Matthew has been outraged ever since Violet divorced him, after I told her how he killed Luke just because Luke was better than him!"

Sakura completely agreed with Violet. There would be no force/way in the seven hells that would make her stay with an ego-maniac assassin freak.

"So, then, he attacked Amber Academy—he knows where I am, since being headmistress is a long tradition in my mom's family."

Sakura's jaw dropped, "Do you mean that black fire was him?!"

"That's what I'm thinking. And yesterday night when I went to check out survivors and ruins, I found something extremely disturbing. Do you remember me showing you the small power jewels in the training center?"

Sakura nodded.

"They all disappeared . . ." Renalia didn't have to complete her sentence, Sakura filled it in her head—that ain't good.

"I'm guessing he is headed off towards Clow City."

Sakura gasped. "B-b-but that's a myth," Sakura stuttered. Syaoran was right! "But, how would Matthew find it I thought that only Clow's reincarnation knew where it was?"

"He has enough dark magic, with the jewels; to find it. It's obvious he would go there so he could kill off all the magic sources to all the dimensions because Clow City is _the _capital for ALL magic in all forms," Renalia said calmly, but Sakura could see she was panicked.

"Hell no is he getting away with destroying Avalon—no, _my_ kingdom—or the entire dimension," Sakura said firmly.

Renalia smiled proudly. She stood up and hugged Sakura. "This is what your parents prayed you would grow up to be. You'd make them so proud." She whispered in Sakura ear.

Sakura blinked back tears, and hugged Renalia back. She did. She did hope she'd make them proud. She hoped that she'd make the entire kingdom proud. She never wanted anything more in her whole life. Those haters would have such a sad look on their faces when Sakura goes to her coronation. She felt loved, she was strong, he air was clear, the skies blue, and she just prayed that her whole being was up to the challenge. She's going to be the best Queen the Kingdom has ever seen since Nadeshiko. She'd make her family and friends proud.

END OF CHAPTER

This is sort of like the turning point in the story. It ties up so many loose strands. I'm really happy with this chapter—it's probably my favorite chapter to write in the entire story so far, even though it was the hardest!


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Eleven

**Chapter Twelve**

**DISCLAIMER: You know who I own and what I don't—c'mon guess! Okay, here's a hint I DON'T OWN CCS!! I wonder if would just let us write that ONCE at the beginning—so much simpler!! Eh, not happening. **

"Where's Sakura?" Tomoyo bit her nails nervously. That was a horrid habit of hers, and she hadn't done it ever since she entered Amber Academy 5 years ago—but, well yeah. You can tell how nervous she was now.

"Calm down Tomoyo, Sakura's a big girl she can take care of herself." Meiling sat on the edge of the log, with her legs crossed. In her hands was a cell phone—which she was trying to get through to civilization to come and rescue them—that she snatched from Dermia's handbag.

"Look, there they are!" Syaoran yelped as he leaped off the tree branch he currently was perching on, looking for a sign of Sakura.

"I thought you hated heights, man?" Eriol raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you hated girl cooties," Syaoran shot back. Eriol flushed with embarrassment remembering Tomoyo's body heat against his.

Meiling snickered at the proclamation. "Even Tomoyo's, Eriol? You guys seemed to look very cozy this morning when I woke you guys up!"

Eriol and Tomoyo both blushed. "Well, y-you and Ryu did too!" Tomoyo stuttered.

Meiling looked up at Tomoyo, while closing the dead cell phone lid in a swift, liquid motion. "Honey, Ryu and I are a couple. Besides, Ryu is a big boy—he doesn't mind girl cooties as long as he's the one kissing them."

Eriol and Syaoran looked disgusted. Tomoyo just shrugged and continued pacing a hole into the ground. Ryu slung his arm around Meiling, trying to comfort the barely visible distressed girl.

Sakura came out of the forest, Dermia and Headmistress Gracia following her. There was a fierce, determined look on her face.

"Eriol, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Meiling and Ryu get your asses up and follow me." Sakura said no more after her command, and walked out of camp.

"For what?" Tomoyo shouted back.

"Just follow me! You've been released from jail by Headmistress Gracia!"

Meiling and Tomoyo looked at each other and shrugged and chased down Sakura. Syaoran and Eriol were shell-shocked, but rapidly realized they were lagging behind and started running.

"Stop." Tomoyo commanded.

"What?" Sakura said irritably.

"Your dress."

Sakura looked down. Eriol, Ryu and Syaoran turned away. Sakura's mid-calf length dress had a huge tear exposing more thigh than a hooker, and a beautiful-looking blue and black bruise.

Tomoyo reached underneath her dress hem, and pulled out a small pouch that had been attached to her garter.

"Take it off," Tomoyo said to Sakura sternly, ignoring Sakura's red face. Meiling occupied the boys' attention, especially Syaoran's, and Sakura slipped out of her officially destroyed garment.

"My gosh," Tomoyo whistled lowly as she looked over the outfit. "The poor dress look like you'd tripped over a hundred tree roots, so does that bruise," Tomoyo nodded towards Sakura's thigh.

Sakura examined the bruise. "Yeah, you're right!" She sounded extremely surprised.

If only the two knew how true that was!

Meiling helped Sakura find a few herbs to nurse the wound, while Tomoyo did her magic on the piece of . . . dress.

"Try not to work your legs too hard," Meiling advised as she took the piece of velvet that Tomoyo had left over and bandaged Sakura's leg.

Sakura nearly snorted with derision. Work her legs hard? Um, she was trying to save Avalon, here! Her own body's selfish desires can come later.

"Here, put this on." Tomoyo shoved her new creation at Sakura.

Sakura murmured, "This feels like old times when we were 6, you forcing me to strip and wear the new outfit you pulled from your head and somehow manage to create it instantly."

Meiling looked interested, "Did she really do that?" and casted a look at Tomoyo who attempted to contort an innocent look on her face, and miserably failed.

"At least 6 times a day," came Sakura's muffled reply as she yanked the lightweight material over her head.

"Whoa, uou look damn hot!" Meiling whistled as Tomoyo threw Sakura a sly wink.

"C'mon, c'mon," Sakura rolled her eyes. "Boys, do you agree with Meiling?" All three boys turned around. Eriol nodded, Ryu cat-called, Syaoran? His jaw dropped literally to the ground.

Tomoyo, being the expert seamstress and sorcerer she was, configured the wispy white top into a floaty 2-layered tanktop. The black ankle-length skirt was transformed into a swingy miniskirt. Her original It outfit looked good on Sakura.

"Do you have scissors?" Sakura asked Tomoyo.

Tomoyo was confused but nether less handed over the scissors to Sakura. To the shock of everyone, Sakura used the scissors to hack at her precious mid-back length hair. By the time she was done it was shoulder length, but still retained its wave, and bounce.

"What was that for?"

Sakura didn't answer; instead she ripped off a vine from a nearby tree and handed over to Tomoyo and Meiling. "Tie up your hair," Sakura instructed. "And Tomoyo, can you do we all a favor and change the boys' ridiculous princely outfits to something—oh, I don't know—that normal boys wear?"

Tomoyo tied up her hair and simply waved her hand over the boys' outfits and they changed into simple t-shirts, sneakers, and shorts.

"Okay, we've done all your orders; now tell us what is going on?" Syaoran had come up to Sakura and was clenching her arms, said fiercely.

"I'll tell you as long as we can do it anywhere besides sitting on a log," Sakura quipped.

Syaoran steered Sakura towards a tree, and forced her to lean on it. Surprisingly, Sakura didn't break Syaoran's nose or anything like that.

"Tell us," Syaoran muttered lowly. His eyes drilling into Sakura's, his breath warm on Sakura's neck.

"I assume Syaoran or Tomoyo gave you brief sketch of my past, right?" Sakura raised her eyebrow at the two mentioned. They nodded.

Sakura took in a deep breath: "Headmistress Gracia is Renalia."

"WHAT?! That bitch!" Tomoyo's face darkened in anger, and she kicked a medium-sized rock with sandaled feet, it went flying for about a mile.

"I'm going to kill her," Syaoran growled, releasing Sakura. He advanced on the frightened headmistress. Dermia stepped in front of him. "Sorry, no." Her eyes were already shifting to purple.

Sakura stepped in the middle and forced Syaoran back. "Be careful. Dermia can control people's movements," She warned. "Renalia isn't actually the murderer, her father is. In fact he set the fire in Amber Academy and is currently heading towards Clow City to destroy Desiree."

"Actually, I don't think Matthew destroyed Amber Academy. I think he has an accomplice in the school. We have incredibly tight security, there's no way he could have gotten in without being spotted," Renalia spoke up.

"But, who would have the motive to destroy Amber?" Meiling sneered.

"A lot of people, who knows?" Renalia shrug.

"Real helpful," Meiling rolled her eyes.

"I need to get to Clow City so I can kick Matthew's ass, will you guys help me?" Sakura turned toward her friends with a fiercely determined look on her face. Never in a million years would she have imagined that she would make such loyal and great friends, and learn the truth so she would no longer be angry—well, not at the wrong person at least.

"Of course we'll help!" Tomoyo cried as she flung her arms around Sakura's neck.

"Where is Clow City? I thought it was just a rumor, or a legend—something stupid," Eriol put in.

"I think you know where seeing that Clow Reed's reincarnation knows how to get there," Sakura looked at Eriol.

Everyone froze seeing the expressions on Eriol's face, who just stared intensely back at Sakura.

"What did you do?" He growled.

"Are you afraid to tell everyone?" Sakura was always a confrontational one—to anyone, and she made it obvious now.

"So, this is it?" Eriol said smoothly, crossing his arms. His eyes revealed his panic.

"I'm sorry to do this to you Eriol, but you need to spill your secret. Now." Sakura's voice was slightly depressed, but she kept it in tact.

"Isn't you and Syaoran knowing enough?!" Eriol shouted back, his eyes panicked.

"What is this about," Tomoyo cut it sharply, her eyes piercing Eriol. Eriol frantically shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it!"

Tomoyo said a small 'oh', and looked down at her feet sadly.

Sakura gently touched her friend's arm, and returned her gaze to Eriol. "Everyone really needs to know now, Eriol. Please, just tell them." Her voice broke at the last part. Wow. Her life really was a re-run of a soap opera. How sad.

Eriol grimaced. He looked back and forth from Meiling, Syaoran, and Sakura's determined faces, Ryu's clueless expression, and Tomoyo's sad but annoyed look. "All right, I'll spill." He sighed, and ran his hands through his abnormal blue locks. "I'm Clow Reed's reincarnation," Eriol blurted out.

Meiling and Tomoyo traded betrayed looks.

Ryu spat spitefully underneath his breath, "No wonder he always won magic classes." No, he liked Clow Reed. It's just too bad that Eriol lied to them all these years about not knowing a thing about Clow Reed, thinking that everything about him was mythical. That, and only telling Meiling, because of their arranged marriage, and Syaoran, who obviously didn't tell Sakura. She figured it out on her own.

Sakura nodded. "Thanks," she said firmly but kindly. "How do you get to Clow tower?"

Eriol, pitifully but resigned, pointed south.

"Let's go, buddy," Sakura grabbed him by the arm and started marching him towards his pointed finger. Tomoyo kept a downwards gaze the entire time they entire group including Dermia and Renalia trekked through the forests, that graduated into hot, tropical jungle.

"Kinomoto, duck!" Dermia screamed.

Sakura flung herself onto the ground.

A dagger flew past her. Sakura stared in shock for about a milisecond before snapping her attention around when she heard a heart-stopping scream. Her dearest childhood friend was being lifted off the ground, the sharpest knife blade Sakura ever saw placed against his neck.

"Tomoyo!" Eriol shouted out racing torwards her, when a band of bandits blocked their way. The leader, a bulky one, walked torwards Meiling. Before anyone realized what had happened, Sakura had pinned the leader to the ground, and somehow managed to twist his knife into her own hands. The blade's edge skimmed the bandit's delicate skin covering his throat. He tried to force it back, but Sakura was much too strong. He caught sight of her face.

"Sakura Kinomoto?" He asked in disbelief.

"Hello," Sakura's eyes narrowing.

"Why the hell are you going against your fellow outlaws, namely me? Ever heard of me, Toshiko Yanamoto?" He demanded, as he tried to distract her enough from the fact that he was very near on the brink of death, and to stop her from killing him with the slightest pressure of her hands.

"Bella told me something about you," Sakura said calmly, then sneered: "Release the girl or else you'll find yourself floating somewhere in hell my fellow outlaw."

To say the bandit was surprised was to put it mildly. Sakura Kinomoto was famous for everything; everything that she did was over-analyzed to heck by the entire dimension. Outlaws that have met her, helped her, been saved by her shared information regarding her in cycles. Rumors say were widespread throughout the rebelling community. Bella, a fellow outlaw friend of his, was saved by Sakura on occasion and told him that Sakura was a lone wolf, traveling by herself, and never was one to defend someone else that wasn't a known rebel.

Meiling, Eriol, Syaoran, Ryu and even Tomoyo stared at the scene--stunned to see Sakura about to take someone's life to defend a friend.

"Let go of him!" One of the bandits recklessly stepped forward, in an act of bravery.

Sakura curled up her upper lip and snarled.

Tomoyo suddenly cried out in pain, whimpering as the cold knife pressed deeper into her throat, drawing out a ruby red bead of blood.

Syaoran and Eriol glared at the bandits, hiding their horror.

What happened next was so rapid, that nobody even realized what had happened. Dermia stood in place of Tomoyo's captive. Tomoyo was on the ground on all fours, panting.

The bandits stepped in menacingly towards the group. The able-bodied fighters were trapped as the nightmares banded, circling them. The princess and princes' circled too, tightening around Tomoyo.

"We have to get out of here!" Meiling whispered frantically, right now, death seemed like a very timely thing to happen.

Eriol nodded, as his golden rod staff formed in his hands.

"No, you guys better not even think about it! I'll hold them ff, you guys leave the minute there's an opening," Dermia murmured.

"Are you sure?" Ryu casted a concerned look at Dermia. She may be um, a bit annoying, but there's no way he was going to throw a girl into a rowdy group of bandits who had a bit of a delusional gleam to their eyes that just screamed psychos.

"I'll be fine," Dermia insisted with a nod.

"Worry more about Matthew!" Renalia tacked on.

A loud explosion of sound, that was the result of Toshiko being thrown at a lackey, knocking them both down to the ground, startled them.

Sakura stood at the break in the circle with well-concealed panicked eyes.

"Go!" Sakura screamed.

Eriol scooped up injured Tomoyo and sprinted for it.

"Here!" Sakura tossed the leader's sword to Syaoran, and threw a snap kick at one of the bandits that was just staring at her.

"No! Leave already!" Dermia screeched while blocking a kick.

"No, we aren't leaving you and Dermia to fend for yourselves!" Sakura retorted as she swiftly took down another bandit, Syaoran backing her from getting killed.

"LEAVE NOW!" Dermia thundered. Sakura, Syaoran, Meiling and Ryu felt their bodies jerk and start running, like Tomoyo was running after someone if they stole her camcorder, without their consent.

About five miles of extreme running down a crude dirt road, Sakura lightly slammed against a tree and slid down, breathing heavily as she regained control of her body.

"What . . . the . . . hell . . . was . . . that?!" Meiling burst out as she collapsed on the grass near Sakura.

Syaoran practically fell; just fell, into Sakura's lap. Sakura lightly stroked his hair. Both of them desperately tried to regulate their breathing.

Ryu landed face-up on the grass clumsily next to Meiling. "Shit, I want water," He said hoarsely. _There's nothing like a five-mile marathon run to tell you just how badly you're out of shape, _Ryu thought to himself sarcastically as he listened to Meiling's inhaling and exhaling. 

"Guys, wait up!" Eriol dragged out the phrase as he jogged up to the tree, carrying Tomoyo and his face tomato red from the Olympic paced running he had done. "How did you guys run that fast? More importantly, why?!" He panted.

"I . . . told . . . you; . . . Dermia . . . can . . . control . . . people, she practically drips extraordinary magic and skill if you haven't noticed." Sakura said, almost wanting to groan in relief when she realized that her breathing was back to normal.

"So, that's why you went with Dermia when she said 'come'," Eriol put air quotations around 'come', and smirked in understanding.

"I'm glad she saved out asses, but we're probably even further away from Clow City now!" Sakura groaned, and threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Actually, no." Eriol made it sound like a question with the rise of his voice, and his quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, really?" Sakura slowly turned to look at him. "Then show the way," She slowly stood up and gestured largely.

"Please, Sakura, can we take a break, we just ran five miles at top-speed," Meiling begged as she threw herself on top of Ryu, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt as she groaned as her muscled ached.

"There are pacirs in my pouch," Tomoyo mumbled as she connected with the cool ground, and weakly drew out her pouch.

"I love you Tomoyo!" Meiling's face lit up as she tore the pouch off Tomoyo's lap. She withdrew a dew-drop-like, flower-looking thingy. "Eat it; you'll regain, well, most of your strength you lost from controlling magic!" She tossed it to each individual member of the group. They gobbled on it like they were stranded on a deserted island and it was fancy caviar and lobster.

Sakura felt warmth spreading through her entire body, as if she had just drank hot whiskey (not that she ever had it when underage . . .) She felt so refreshed that it was like she took a cold shower in this heat. Apparently everyone else felt the same way as they all stood up and grinned at each other. Sakura yawned, stretching her hands up. "Nice," she smirked at Meiling. Meiling grinned back.

So they walked forward, with occasional guidance from Eriol—at a normal speed. The scenery was amazing. Everywhere had this dreamy yellow haze hanging over it, like pure sunshine filtered through the tall palm tree leaves above them. Next to the group, were exotic jungle plants, for instance, an orange/brown striped small split tree, with small lagoons bubbling cheerfully dotting the exotic ground plants.

Sakura pondered why Dermia saved them. There's no way that Dermia liked her, so what the heck? I guess there's more to people than I ever thought. After all, I'm in the gray area myself, Sakura wryly thought to herself.

Then there was a scream up front.

"Sakura!" Syaoran bellowed, he ran to the front of the group, and successfully saved her from plunging headfirst into a hidden hole.

"Thanks," Sakura breathed. She leaned against Syaoran for support.

"Where did that come from?" Meiling examined the dirt hole; it looked like it was carved out of stone. It had perfectly shaved sides.

"I have no idea," Sakura's voice caught, as she tried to regain a grip on herself. .

"Me neither," Eriol came up to examined the hole as well. Tomoyo inched away from him, slowly. Then when she thought he wasn't looking, Tomoyo ran backwards next to Meiling. Eriol noticed it, and swallowed hard. He kept examining the suspicious hole, with his hair hanging over his eyes.

"Matthew probably knew his daughter was going to try to stop him. Of course he wouldn't want that when he could get absolute power, he probably set up traps," Meiling pointed out, while tip-toeing around the huge hole.

"She's right. Of course it's not going to be a free-for-all," Sakura said. "After all, nothing's easy. Especially trying to save a kingdom from sardonic killers," she added on sarcastically. "Welcome to my life."

"Yours is more interesting than training to be ladies-in-waiting," Tomoyo countered.

"At least you're going to have a nice boss who'll let you make clothing for her—your most desired dream," Sakura said jokingly. If only she knew how much meaning there was in it, that meaning made Tomoyo's eyes well up. Tomoyo was so happy that her friend was going to take over the crown in her own way. Besides, Sakura never let her make clothing her voluntarily. Tomoyo hugged Sakura, and pulled back.

She smirked. "Let's go kick some M ass."

"Now we're talking!" Ryu whooped. Meiling rolled her eyes. As much as she loved her silent-and-strong man, he was not exactly the most sensitive, nor discreet, person in the world.

"What's that in the distance?" Meiling called back, her index finger pointing off in the distance.

Sakura perked up, lifting her head from Syaoran's shoulder. The four-hour monotony was finally broken. She squinted to see what Meiling was pointing at. When she tilted her head about 60 degrees to the right, she could make out the tip of a tower. It looked like Pieter Bruegel's Tower of Babel painting clouded in a yellow haze. The halfway destructed one.

"We're there," Eriol said.

"That didn't take long at all," Tomoyo said sarcastically. She bended her knee, so she could rub her aching feet.

Eriol didn't say anything after Tomoyo's brutal reappraisal.

Sakura didn't talk, as Syaoran, Meiling and Ryu murmured to themselves. She took in her settings, trying not to hyperventilate knowing in maybe two hours or less, she'll see her parents bodies. And maybe fight for her life, and kingdom.

The more they got into the Clow City, the more it graduated from bright colors, to lush green grass, clear blue skies, and a heavily unused dirt road, where emerald plants started overcrowding it. The trees got shorter, and shorter. Turning into the maple oaks near Amber Academy.

There was a shriek. A piercing shriek that pounded all their hearts to a stop. Sakura sharply whipped around, and began running towards the sound.

"No, Sakura, don't!" Meiling called after her, after the initial shock. Sakura ignored her, and veered toward the maple oaks.

Tomoyo and Meiling ran after her, leaving the boys to stare after them, dumbfounded.

They caught up with Sakura in time, to see her at the edge of a small lagoon. They stared in horror as they watched the steam rising from the lagoon hiss and deflate. The bubbling, pristine water turned to a black mucky mess. It was disgusting.

"Ah!" Meiling yelped, jumping back. She thought she saw a pair of red eyes looking back at her.

"Okay, I'm officially grossed out!" Tomoyo whimpered, hanging onto Sakura's arm. Sakura blinked. This was not something she saw daily—even in her crazy, irregular life.

"Um, you know what? Let's go back to the boys." Sakura stepped away from the lagoon, and calmly tried to walk away. In the end, the girls walk became a frantic canter to get away.

Once they came back to the dirt road, the boys were gone.

"Idiots," Sakura ground her teeth.

"When I find Ryu . . ." Meiling's voice trailed off, her eyes were wickedly gleaming thinking about all of the punishments she'd bestow to her boyfriend.

Tomoyo flung open the doors to the tower, she stalked in.

Sakura huffed in annoyance as she looked around the tower. It was dark, and kind of creepy. Plus, she had no idea where her parents' tomb was supposed to be.

Meiling shivered at the damp, cold stone inside the tower. There was just this eerie vibe that it gave up that creeped her to hell. "I can't believe this place is supposed to be heaven on earth," Meiling said softly.

"For once, I'll agree with you without making a smart remark," Sakura said, crouching low and creeping across the stone floor.

Meiling managed to hit Sakura with her elbow without touching her arm to the narrow walls.

Sakura stood up, narrowly avoiding bonking her head on the ceiling. "Shh, listen." She put her hands up, next to her eyes.

Meiling's eyes widened, Tomoyo cursed. "This is too much like a horror movie," Sakura groaned. They steeled themselves.

Sakura was the first to attack; she jumped up, managing to grab an upcoming black snake made from dark magic attacker from the cut stone ceiling. She let free a small burst of magic that instantly killed it.

Meiling managed to keep herself from getting killed and fended Tomoyo at the same time. _Great practice for becoming Syaoran's martial arts trainer for his dumbass army, _she thought sarcastically as she threw one of Tomoyo's high heels at a snake creeping towards them.

Sakura stepped over the last discarded snake, and glanced around warily. No more. She beckoned towards her friends, and they cautiously made their way into the depths of the tower.

Sakura's arms prickled the second some putrid smell assaulted her nose. Meiling inhaled deeply, and cupped her hands around her mouth. "RYU, YOU IDIOT!" She screamed, her magic instantly amplifying it. The sound echoed throughout the corridor, you could practically hear the sound vibrating off the walls.

There was a drop of water in the distance. Meiling brought her hands back to her sides. "I don't hear Ryu at all." Her brow furrowed in worry.

"That's not good," Tomoyo bit her lip. Meiling's call & response method never failed. No matter how far away Ryu was.

There was a creak in the stone, and suddenly they were flying. Sakura's instinct threw her hands up, clutching the cut stone ceilings, as the floor beneath them gave way. "Meiling! Tomoyo!" She screamed as her friends braced themselves against the floor as it crashed through several levels.

There was a roar of sound, and then it stopped. Sakura looked beneath her, and let out a sigh of relief. Her friends were safe. Probably a little shaken up, but nether less they were safe.

She slowly scaled her way down and lightly scurried over to their side.

Tomoyo's chest was heaving deeply up and down. She was still flat on the floor, her arms and knees bent for protection, and hands over her head. She lifted her head up and when she was satisfied the world was not trembling around her, did she get up, shakily. Nothing like having acrophobia when you just plummeted six stories down some unknown tomb-thingy.

"What the hell was that?" Meiling burst out, drawing her hands around her.

Sakura didn't answer. There was something unnaturally cold around her—and it was not the temperature. It was the magic failing. She looked up at the slitted high windows in the tower's walls, and it was pitch black outside. It was barely noon.

"There's something seriously wrong here," Meiling looked at Sakura. Her face was dead serious.

"Why do you say that?" Tomoyo looked confused

"Why would he bother, trying to drain everything from its life source? He could probably just destroy all the royal tombs."

Sakura snapped to even sharper attention. "What royal tombs?" She said tensely.

"Clow City is the place where Avalon's deceased royal family is held. It's filled to the brim with magic, so there's no need for mummifiying, burying—the deceased are in perfect condition."

"He's going to destroy my parents' bodies," Sakura realized with a sickening emotion swelling in her stomach.

"Yes." Meiling said solemnly. "Because of the magic, the spirits of the decease are still there, channeling and helping the stream of magic flow well, and untainted. So by destroying the source, would just basically plummet Desiree into the Dark Ages."

"And how do you know that?" Tomoyo asked Meiling, her voice suddenly going sharp.

Meiling sighed. "Look, you both know that—you from being there, and you Sakura from seducing Syaoran into telling you (at this Sakura had to smirk)—I was previously engaged to Eriol because of the whole reincarnation, legend crap. Apparently, the elders said 'You. Tell fiancée stuff' to Eriol and he proceeded to bore the shit out of me with crap about Clow City. Way to romance a girl," Meiling finished with a roll of her eyes.

"You know what; I might possibly kill that boy when I see him again." Guess who said that? Tomoyo, my dears.

"Okay, now I definitely know that we've been rubbing off you," Sakura laughed as she scanned the premises looking for a way—any way—out.

"Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, concern scrawled over her face.

"Something's not right," Sakura finally said. "I don't think Eriol would get so lost in his own castle-slash-tomb place that we couldn't even hear Ryu after Meiling's call back."

Meiling's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're right," She silently just stared then she placed her hand into her jean pocket, when she withdrew there was a pacir in her hand.

Tomoyo realized what Meiling's epiphany was. She reached into her pouch, and crumpled in her hand was a cherry blossom.

Meiling combined the two in between her index finger and her thumb. She threw it at the wall as if she was throwing a fast ball. The blossom and pacir lightly hit the wall, and then it shattered as the wall shimmered and shattered in the background.

Sakura's jaw dropped. She was looking at the scene from below and it was just amazing. It looked like a rainbow was shattering into thousands of little pieces behind a glass window with rain washing down the window. It was just stunning. Then, too soon, it ended. It melted into a trail of long yellow stone stretching for miles and grass decorating both sides of the trail with thick shrubbery and forests on the grass, covered by the mask of dark.

Meiling stood at the place where the wall would've been before the explosion. She looked at Sakura and Tomoyo, and smiled slightly although her face was sincere and serious. "And that my friend is what happens when you get hoodwinked."


	13. Chapter 13

Skirts

**I've noticed a disturbing trend throughout my editing process-I've stopped writing a/ns (gasp!) So, I'll catch up here: I figure just an epilogue before closing this story for good. Yeah, it would feel really nice to have two complete stories on my profile. Though, I do berate myself for not coming up with **_**at least **_**a loose outline of what I wanted before starting this story, if I'd done that it would've taken me just one year to write this—not two. Sheesh, I'm pathetic. Most people manage to finish more than 1 story in two years. **

**After I finish Rebel; I figure a week hiatus then I'll start working on my other currents and start some new ones (beware!), and of course my annual summer project: cleaning out my fave/alerts. Any helpful hints on how to do that, because no matter how many summers I've done it, I still don't know how to delete stuff away without feeling guilty . . . ah, I'm a packrat figuratively and literally. So sad. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, any CCS character belongs to the fabulous authoresses: CLAMP. **

**Chapter 13**

Skirts. Skirts they were the last thing that Sakura could imagine wearing while running like hell towards the very last person she thought she would have to—want to—save.

"If that was an illusion, where the hell is the actual building?" Tomoyo shrieked in frustration. The expression on her face was contorted in agony as thoughts of Eriol's mangled body flashed in her mind at a lightning pace. They didn't show it, but Tomoyo knew that Sakura and Meiling were worried out of their minds as they raced through the brush.

Sakura dodged underneath a hanging branch that strayed in front of the path. Meiling suddenly flipped in a somersault over Sakura, landing gracefully and speeded the other way.

"Meiling, where the fuck are you going?" Sakura screamed behind her, not even caring how she just unraveled months going of staying curse-free. Meiling paid no heed to her and cut through the forest.

Tomoyo caught up with Sakura, her hands braced against her knees as she gasped for breath.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked absentmindedly as she debated over whether or not to follow Meiling. As if she read Sakura's mind, Tomoyo said; "Don't worry. She'll come back."

That reassured Sakura, and she stepped back waiting for Meiling. Sakura stared at the vast expanse of bright, larger-than-life bright blue skies with fluffy clouds. They seemed to be mocking everything that was stuck on the ground; from the spoiling fruit, wilting plants and trees, rotting wood, the scent of fresh blood spilled over the scenery.

Sakura could feel bile rise in her throat. She could see, feel, taste, hear, smell the decaying place that just hours before was throbbing with life, power, and magic. It just made her feel horrible that she couldn't do anything for the capital of magic in Desiree Dimension. It made her feel worthless. She gave into dry-heaving into the bushes. There. Small relief, she got up from her kneel at the green throne.

Tomoyo faced her with a look of concern. Sakura shrugged, brushing it off. It wasn't Tomoyo's fault that Sakura's heightened senses are finally catching up with her exhaustion.

"Have you ever told Syaoran you loved him?" Tomoyo broke the silence with an unexpected question. Sakura flushed slightly at the mention of the amber-eyed boy, the object of her rare affections.

For a long time Sakura didn't say anything. Tomoyo was afraid she accidentally scared Sakura too much.

"Love . . . what exactly is it? Is it the love that Renalia felt for the life that was still in her that she abandoned her living niece? Is it the love of power and greed that made Matthew hunt down his own blood? Is it the respect that Meiling and Eriol felt for each, but however they refused marriage?" Sakura paused as a scarce breeze ruffled through her hair and blew a sweet scent onto her tongue. She ravished it, tasted it with her tongue until the taste. "I'm not sure if I love him, since I don't know the exact definition of my feelings, but perhaps," She paused, "Maybe. Why do you ask?"

The one word that Tomoyo said next spoke volumes: "Eriol," Tomoyo shuddered in worry, wrapping her arms around her as if she was afraid her heart would fall out.

"Tomoyo," Sakura said then internally winced at how flat she said it, "Tomoyo," She said again, injecting warmth into her voice. "Nothing is going to happen to them. They won't die," She stated the vain hopes of the trio as a fact, not a wish.

"How do you know," Tomoyo lifted her head, a mercurial hood over her eyes.

"I know. Matthew needs bait, and if he wants to kill me—or the kingdom—he would have enough sense to keep his bait alive until we come."

The two winced knowing that it was true. "I'm going to kill Matthew," Sakura snarled as she shifted from one foot to another.

"Well, if we can't find the bloody damned building, your threats are empty ones," Meiling said as she climbed out of the forest, in her hands, clutched tightly, was a cherry blossom.

Sakura sighed, knowing that Meiling was right. "What's with the Sakura?"

"Combined with a pacir, one of the most important things to a sage, the Sakura can reveal any illusions. Particularly useful in cases where victims try to disguise how badly their injuries are," Meiling explained as she, with ease, plucked the petals from the center and crushed the two parts in her hand.

Tomoyo handed her a pacir. "Be careful, it's the last one," Tomoyo warned in a whisper.

Meiling nodded. If she was nervous, she didn't show it.

Sakura and Tomoyo stepped back onto the opposing sides of grass waiting for Meiling to signal when she was done.

Meiling threw it into the air, crouching down a millisecond after it hit the air. A mass of yellow light, looking like pure sunshine, gleamed brilliantly with rays coming down. It bobbed in the air and started floating down the trail.

The girls chased after it. Sakura couldn't help but think: _Somehow this feels very Deja Vu. _

It was becoming darker, and this illusion-seeker was a good help to them in the seeing-in-the-dark department as it lit up the path in a way only the real sun could.

Sakura ducked from getting hit by a tree branch as she ran behind them, her bruised leg was a definite nuisance. A burst of pain shattered Sakura's thoughts, her mind exploded in agony as she dived into dirt. Darkness shadowed over the forest again. Her pain was fireworks against the dark.

Her leg was throbbing. Sakura gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to pass out as a normal response to her body's mechanics to keep her alive, and the blood pounded in her head. She slowly raised her head to check to damage, even as slowly as she raised it, she was starting to get dizzy and disoriented from blood loss. There was a knife pounded into her leg. Judging from the pain she felt, it probably sliced an artery. Thoughts were swirling in Sakura's head like a whirlwind, as she felt her head hit back onto the ground involuntarily, and she could only make out only a few of her own thoughts: _This isn't good_. _Get a grip on yourself Kinomoto! _

When she started breathing in slow pants, she amazed herself by being able to calm down and think. _Okay, first thing's first, get the knife out. It's better if it's out than in, at least I can check the internal damage if it's out. _Steeling herself for a world of pain, Sakura gripped the dirt as she tried to remove the knife from her flesh.

Calloused, cold manly hands grabbed her shoulders and—not very gently—slammed her back into the dirt. Dazed, she tried to turn around to look at her captor. Big mistake. He wrenched her from the ground and slammed her into a tree, holding her by her top collar. He snarled in her face.

Sakura couldn't think; she just stared at him. There's something off about this. She stared silently at her captor. This pissed him off even more, and he slammed her against the tree again. Something jolted her mind and triggered a memory of a dirty-blonde, whitish eyed boy. _Naoras, _her mind screamed at her. This woke her up from the slumbering pain.

"Why are you doing this to me?" She whispered sharply. She couldn't find the strength to scream it—that, and her throat was too dry. Her mind refused to believe that this was happening to her; after all, she had never done anything to Naoras.

Naoras snarled again, and jerked the knife out of Sakura's leg. A piercing scream rose and fainted into the dark, starless sky.

Sakura's face broke out into sheen of sweat as Naoras placed the tip of the knife against her heart.

_I'm going to die, _Sakura thought with a jerk. She's been on the brink of it, but never like this, when it was so close. _Damn it! Syaoran, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry_. . . Remembering Syaoran and the trouble he was very likely in currently made Sakura's hands clench weakly at her sides and . . . she waited. Waited for her untimely death, as if she was waiting in line in the cafeteria for her customary bottle of water.

Naoras was outraged. He had expected a reaction—any kind of reaction—not this cold, patient stare this girl was giving him. It wasn't fun. This wasn't fun at all. However, his lips curled up in a wicked smile, at least finishing this up would give him the opportunity to join his father in torturing stupid Syaoran Li and Eriol Hiiragizawa. He snarled at the mention of them—even in his mind.

"Good-bye," He whispered with a sneer and was about to slam the point of the knife into Sakura's chest when he felt feminine, slender fingers enclose around his neck. He was tossed backwards, slammed into a tree.

Sakura's eyes that were previously closed in anticipation of her death, fluttered open in shock as she dropped onto the dirt on her side. The pain of the rocks and dirt beneath her mixed with the heat of her leg, making her feel faint. She closed her eyes and simply concentrated on breathing. There was nothing she could do. She never felt so useless in her entire life.

"Get the FUCKING HELL AWAY FROM HER you disgusting piece of vile!" Tomoyo's voice crescendo-ed, and fell. She had never felt so much hatred for a human being before, adrenaline was pumping through her veins, and there was a hard, glittering ice look to her glare.

Naoras rose from the place of his crash, his lips pressed together. He couldn't believe that the weakest link of Sakura's group managed to toss him like a piece of garbage. Needless to say, he was furious.

The two furious teenagers faced off, burning hatred radiating off them in colliding waves. Sakura felt ripping pressure on her leg, her eyes unwillingly opened. Meiling kneeled beside her, she held a lipgloss-like container in one hand, and was dabbing whatever was in it onto Sakura's wound. It stung, but Sakura was more concentrated on a bigger issue.

"Meiling, what the hell are you doing here? The boys' lives are at stake!" Sakura hissed.

"Sakura . . . shut the hell up! I care about the boys, but I care just as much about you. You're my friend, there's no way I'm going to fucking let you die," Meiling sharply said as she glanced up to glare seriously at Sakura. It was obvious from her tone that she was serious—and pissed. "I know you've been deceived before in your life, but there are people who _do _care about you! Like me, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Ryu, and _so_ many others. If you think you can just die without affecting anyone—you're incredibly wrong and stupid for thinking that!" Meiling ended her rant, panting.

Sakura was stunned and completely thrown.

"Stretch out your leg," Meiling commanded her voice rough from the passionate speech she'd just given.

Sakura did as she was told, still dumbstruck. Meiling dabbed the gel onto Sakura's, poking slightly harder than was necessary. Sakura winced. Meiling pretended that she didn't notice, and continued torturing Sakura.

Something poked Meiling. "What?" Meiling snapped as she turned around.

"Your turn, Meiling," Tomoyo smirked.

O . . . kay, Sakura stared at Tomoyo, wondering whether or not she should beg Tomoyo to return back to normal . . . whatever normal was for Tomoyo anyhow.

Naoras glared, however it was a pitiful attempt considering that he was gagged and bound by vines, and tossed like a pig into a mud puddle. Sakura stared incredulously at Naoras, then twisted her neck to look at Tomoyo at her right side. Her expression said it all: "Wow."

Meiling finished tormenting Sakura and stared at her seriously, her raven hair fell on either sides of her face, curtaining it. "Take care of Ryu," she simply said, then proceeded to stand up and walked over to struggling Naoras.

Tomoyo nodded at Sakura, "You can walk now."

Sakura shakily got up, using the tree in order to regain her balance.

Tomoyo walked forward.

"Wait! What're you doing?" Sakura cried out. She was shocked that Meiling and Tomoyo were putting their lives in danger—especially now.

Tomoyo turned to look at Sakura solemnly. "Meiling and I are going to fight Naoras," she stared. When Sakura opened her mouth to protest, Tomoyo shook Sakura's shoulders: "Listen to me Sakura, Meiling and I can handle Naoras. We're strong enough to. Don't worry about us. We know when we decided to help you that it wasn't going to be easy. But, this is out small sacrifice if we get killed to help you. You, on the other hand, have to save your kingdom," Tomoyo searched Sakura's eyes for understanding. They were vacant, void of all emotion. "I only have one request though, okay?" Sakura nodded her throat immobile. "Save Eriol." With that, Tomoyo released Sakura and ran to help Meiling, who was struggling to keep Naoras pinned down, since he had managed to loosen his bounds.

"What're you waiting for Sakura, RUN!" Meiling screamed.

Sakura couldn't move from her spot. She was frozen.

"GO!" Meiling and Tomoyo screamed together.

This jolted Sakura out of her stupor, and she sprinted out of the clearing. As her feet pounded to yellow path, her mind chanted: _Kill Matthew, kill Matthew, kill Matthew. There's too much at stake here—you have to win this. If you don't-you've failed your life, your friends, and everything that you have received in the past three months. _She would never be able to forgive herself if anything happened to Syaoran, Tomoyo, Meiling or Ryu. The four people who managed to get Sakura to open up, and opened up to her. That, and she failed her parents and Renalia. The thought was unbearable.

Suddenly an orb of light appeared out of the forest. Sakura nearly ended up sprawled on the ground in her surprise. It was the cherry blossom and pacir that Meiling had combined. It bobbed once and speeded out of sight. Sakura, without even realizing what she was doing, ran after it.

The light passed over large boulders that were lined up, Sakura could see a large stone-cut structure. _That has to be the tomb_, she thought. She vaulted over the boulder and chased the light. Near the entrance, the light faded away. _I guess I was right_, Sakura thought grimly as she slowed down her run, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She had no idea what to expect, when the upper level of the structure wall blew out. Sakura ducked, shielding her face with her arms from the debris. She straightened up, and immediately glimpsed a flash of blue hair before another blasting sound erupted.

Matthew, her mind instinctively snarled. Sakura gripped at the rock ledge and hauled herself up. She contemplated whether or not Matthew knew she was there yet, and if she had the element of surprise.

Oh, god. Who cares? He's either going to be taken by surprise or not, no use weighing the pros and cons, I'm just wasting time. With that decided, Sakura pressed herself the wall, as she silently drew out her daggers.

Matthew was proud of himself. Sickly proud. He had managed to destroy all the bodies of Avalon Kingdom's former royal families until he got to the very top tier of the tomb. Nadeshiko and Fujitaka were as lovely as ever, even in death, he thought as he stared maniacally at the bodies of Sakura Kinomoto's parents. His niece. Of course, Violet was a fool for letting my daughter marry into the family. Blake was a nuisance and an incompetent one at that, he fumed. How could Violet ever let his precious daughter ruin the bloodline by marrying such an idiot? He may be a commoner, but he was much better than Blake Tresten!

Well, lets not think of that, Matthew thought as he placed his hand onto Nadeshiko's forehead, ready to crush her skull. It's too bad, I never got a chance to taste you, He wickedly thought as he stared at Nadeshiko's slim frame.

He was then thrown forward, a warm liquid spilling over his hands. A crimson red liquid. His blood. He roared in anger, and punched Syaoran Li across the face, then injected a fair amount of black magic into Eriol Hirigizawa's bloodstream, sending Eriol into a hacking cough.

Meddlesome kids, he snorted. He had dealt with them for over an hour, and they still haven't given up even though they looked dead-tired. It just goes to show that royal families in Desiree's kingdoms were unable to do anything besides give orders. They didn't have any unique abilities or powers! They might as well let commoners rule the crown! He was reminded of what he was originally going to do next.

He replaced his hand on Nadeshiko's forehead.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HAND OFF MY MOTHER!" Sakura stood at the fallen-out wall, glowering at Matthew in fury. The daggers were clenched in her hands.

He smirked inwardly. Let the games begin. He then whirled around. "Ah, dear niece. I see you managed to escape my useless son," He said nonchalantly and strolled across the stone floor towards Sakura. "It's such a shame that dear Annabel couldn't breed a better one for me."

_Son?! SON?! Oh, what a man whore! _Sakura's mind screamed. She didn't voice her thoughts, and collected herself enough to glare at Matthew without launching herself on him.

"Though, I wonder if you would be able to create a better one," He raked over Sakura's body with his eyes.

Sakura stiffened, her defensive mechanism immediately throwing itself into gear.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Hands circled around Matthew's throat, and Matthew was lifted up the floor and thrown against the wall.

Syaoran stared at Sakura with wild eyes, raking her over like Matthew had, but in concern. "You're alright," He breathed, his voice raspy, and then collapsed. Sakura got there in time, preventing his head from cracking against the floor.

She was injured, but it was nowhere near how Syaoran looked. Every inch of his body was bruised and battered, his skin sallow—the number one trait of what victims of black magic looked. She gently laid him down on the floor. Ryu, and Eriol's bodies were scattered on the floor nearby Syaoran. They didn't look like they fared any better.

Blood was beginning to boil under Sakura's skin. She was mad at Matthew and mad at herself for letting this happen to the boys.

Matthew got up, his pupils dilating in annoyance at Syaoran. He didn't have a chance to torture Syaoran any farther though, two daggers speeded at him, pinning his shirt to the wall, and his head impacted with the wall.

A furious Sakura walked up to him, anger radiating from her.

He clucked his tongue. "My, my, my, what a foolish girl."

Sakura didn't react in time as bounds of black magic encased her, she tried to loosen them, but every time she tried—they tightened and sent a current of electricity down her spine. Sakura tried being still, and the magic ended up throwing her onto the ground, and started shocking her even though she wasn't moving.

She watched in horror, as a pair of claws were formed by Matthew's black magic and enclosed around her only weapons, and then reduced her daggers in dust. The wisps of black magic faded away, as Matthew dusted himself off and walked towards her.

Sakura's threshold for pain was starting to get crossed. She let loose a piercing scream, her entire body tensing up.

Matthew's eyes widened in shock as bursts of white magic overpowered his black magic, tearing the bounds. Sakura was freed, but she was starting to weaken. Ignoring the spasms of pain, she tried to punch Matthew. Matthew trapped her wrists in his hands. "Did you honestly think that you; a 17-year-old, obnoxious little rebel can overpower me; a 40-year-old, black magic sorcerer?" He sneered. Sakura spat in his face, and threw up lower body up, kicking Matthew shoulders, jerking herself off, and letting him to collide into the wall again.

"You little bitch!" He hissed as he raised his hand, and then clenched it. Sakura felt her body being thrown repeatedly onto the ground, she heard something snap. _A bone perhaps, _she thought. Her body and her mind were on two very different planes. When you were in so much pain, she felt numb. She couldn't remember her name, who was she fighting, why, and who were the trio of blonde, brown, blue-haired boys laying on the floor over there.

Matthew lifted his hand and did a throwing motion. Sakura was thrown onto the little platform that housed her parent's caskets. He smirked, and then strangled her throat, releasing black magic into her bloodstream. Sakura felt herself fall into a fog, she was barely aware of the throbbing pain that was seducing in blood currently. "It's ironic isn't it, you die at the feet of your dead parents Sakura Kinomoto," he lightly said, adding more pressure to her throat.

Something cold and hard rinsed over Sakura. Common sense. She remembered. She was no longer mad, but rather calculating at a rapid speed. She raised her feet and shoved him off her. The kick had Matthew spinning around the room, knocking into several things. Sakura knew this bought her only a measly amount of time before Matthew decided to finally finish her off, she pulled herself up, until she was eye-level with her mother's cold, dead body. She frantically searched her mother's face looking for something—anything—to get her out of this mess.

A gold and silver engraved slim box was nestled in her mother's arms. There was a picture of a lion and a crescent moon and heart with wings. It matched Sakura's necklace she realized. She opened the lid. Inside, there were a stack of cards. A beautiful, nymph-like white figure was printed on the first card, with wings seemingly made of wind. There was elegant script printed on the bottom of the card: THE WINDY, and below that was Sakura's name.

From her peripheral vision, Sakura spotted Matthew coming to a halt of his dizzying journey, and advancing towards her. Sakura didn't think. She just acted instinctively; she grabbed the WINDY card and threw it at Matthew, "Windy, attack!" She screamed in desperation.

The card glowed, and the beautiful creature that was printed on the card emerged from the light.

Matthew felt his stomach drop. He remembered the first time he and Blake met at a governing conference and Blake was talking about Clow Card nonsense. His face was ghastly. It was too late to realize that Blake was right.

He felt wind lash out at him, bruising him at every whip and turn.

_They work, they work!_ Sakura felt like crying in joy. But, it was obvious that Windy was not going to be able to kill Matthew herself. She glanced at the deck; the card below Windy was Fly. She held it tightly in her right hand, "Fly," she whispered. A tingling feeling spread through her body, she could sense wings sprouting on her back. _No time for a crash test, _she flapped her wings once. She shoved the deck into her pocket, and she rose into the air and flew over to a whipped Matthew.

Windy smiled at her mistress and retreated to a card, falling to the floor.

"Hello, Matthew," She matched his disinterested, sickening suave drawl. She drew back her fist and punched him squarely in the jaw.

He glared at her, "Two can play the flying game, Kinomoto." He snarled as black wings emerged from his back. He blasted out the roof of the tomb, and rose out, Sakura at his heels.

"I hate you Kinomotos, you are a bunch of sick, arrogant fools," He punched her stomach, sending her wheeling in the sky.

Sakura flew back to her original position and tried to attack Matthew. He avoided every one of her blows.

Then he landed one of his, sending Sakura rocketing towards a tree. Deja Vu. Something sparked in Sakura memory as she screeched to a halt.

If someone was looking at the battle from third view, they would probably be on the floor rolling in laughter. The aerial fight was no doubt amusing from the ground.

Sakura sucked in a deep breath and flew towards Matthew her leg drew back in preparation for a kick. She sharply kicked Matthew in the shoulder; he glared as he got a grip on Sakura's ankle, all the ready to send her flying. To his surprise, he was the one who got sent flying at a tree. The impact shook the tree to the core. His wings scattered away and faded.

Sakura was smirking inwardly, remembering all the boys she had conquered during the tournament because they had underestimated her (well, his) move. Sakura gracefully landed on the ground, her wings folding into her back.

She was about to give him a couple of kicks that would make him regret he was ever born, when a wretched scream pierced the area. Sakura whipped around, her hand still clutched to Matthew's collar. She released him, tossing him to the ground, as she stumbled out of Naoras panicked rampage across the field.

She stared at Naoras, not sure whether or not she should burst of cackling. Naoras was running away from Meiling and Tomoyo, who was at his heels.

Matthew was furious. He told that idiotic boy of his to keep those two girls away from him and Sakura so he could kill Sakura. He was so furious that he actually forgot he was fighting Sakura currently. "What's wrong with you, idiot?!" Matthew roared at Naoras. Naoras looked terrified. Matthew lashed out at his son with a fury of black magic.

The girls couldn't help gasping at the sight of Naoras being abused, and whipped onto the ground. Sakura just stared at Matthew. She wasn't sure whether or not to either think the guy was deranged or just . . . um, a weird psycho naturally.

Meiling stepped away from Naoras' body. She glanced at Tomoyo in bewilderment, Tomoyo shrugged. Matthew just gave them a three-person advantage over himself.

Matthew realized what he did slightly too late when Meiling tossed Naoras daggers at Sakura. Sakura grabbed them out of midair, thankful for weapons seeing hers had been vaporized by Matthew. Pain ripped through her body as she snatched the daggers from midair. She grimaced as waves of pain pounded through her body. The pain had disappeared earlier, but now it was back—full throttle. But, she trusted her aim. She inhaled sharply and released the dagger. It speeded towards Matthew, pinning his shirt to the tree.

A card fell out of her pocket. She looked down at it. She grabbed it, and pinched another card between her index finger and her thumb. "WINDY! FREEZE!" She screamed, throwing the cards at Matthew.

Windy surrounded Matthew, ripping his shirt from the tree, carrying him higher and higher into the air. An aura of blue light encased Matthew, freezing him over. Windy was carrying a case of ice in the air.

Sakura nodded, signaling to Meiling and Tomoyo to step back.

Windy, hugging Matthew's body, dove into the earth. Wisps of wind vanished, as the ice cracked and shattered, severely bruising Matthew in the process. One card formed on the ground. Sakura walked over to collect the cards. She examined Matthew as she bent over to collect the cards. He was just as damaged as she was, giving either of them a fighting chance to win, and currently knocked out. _The jewels! _She remembered. Sakura dug through Matthew's pockets, and out fell the jewels.

Tomoyo walked over, holding Naoras' dagger in her hand. She offered it to Sakura. Sakura smiled thanks, and slammed the dagger point into the jewel, cracking it and breaking it into halves. She repeated the procedure for the rest of the jewels. Satisfied, Sakura made to get up when she felt a hand grab her ankle.

Sakura looked back, inwardly terrified, Matthew smirked demonically at Sakura, and Tomoyo. Without further ado, he slammed both Tomoyo and Meiling into trees using telekinesis. Sakura struggled to reach into her pocket for a card, any card. She felt the card slip between her fingers and Matthew pulled her in closer.

A single flame appeared in her mind. Not knowing what it meant, Sakura shouted "Firey," as she managed to get a grip on the card and tossed it at Matthew. Matthew howled in pain, and released Sakura's ankle. Sakura tumbled out of the way.

A ring of fire encircled Matthew. Sakura suddenly remembered something. She'd only collected one card. She looked around frantically, when something in the sky caught her eye.

It was Windy, carrying an unconscious Naoras in her hands; she flew in near the fire, and dropped Naoras onto his father in the center of the fire ring. Windy then gracefully landed in front of her mistress, bowed with a smile, and re-formed into a card. Sakura stared at the card in her hand and smiled slightly, and pocketed it.

"Aren't you going to finish Matthew and Naoras off?" Meiling asked, as she and Tomoyo limped up to Sakura.

Sakura smiled slightly. "No. I don't think I will. After all, Matthew currently has his powers drained, is surrounded by fire, and got a 150-pound son dropped unmercifully on his back. Besides, my goal was to save Desiree from getting crumbled into pieces—I would absolutely _adore _killing Matthew or Naoras, but what's the point now when we've just won? And, I'd rather kill them when I'm stronger, anyhow," Her voice was a teasing lilt by the end of her speech.

Meiling and Tomoyo stared at her. "My Sakura has finally grown up!" Tomoyo squealed, launching herself onto Sakura. Sakura laughed as Tomoyo hugged her. Meiling looked amused.

"Good job Kinomoto," a deep male voice resounded in the field.

They trio of weary girls whipped to face the voice.

Roy Houndi (one of the dudes Sakura fought in the tournament) walked out behind a tree, around his neck was a male-version of Sakura's necklace. He got down on one knee and bowed deeply at Sakura's feet.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do, but she confidently spoke, "Rise."

Roy smiled as he stood up. "Congratulations Sakura, you've passed your initiation test."

Sakura's face bursted out into a wide grin, "Thanks, and what're you doing here?"

"My grandmother usually checks the initiation test, but she decided to send me here instead." Roy shrugged.

"Who's your grandmother?" Meiling asked, confused.

"I'm sure your mother told you about the fortune-teller tale?"

"Yes. So you're the fortune-teller's grandson?" Roy nodded. "It's a small, small world," Sakura muttered under her breath, amazed at everything that had been revealed to her in such a short amount of time. It was dumbfounding.

"So, Sakura is worthy of being queen, right?" Meiling cut in.

"Yes."

"Please, tell me, something about the future?" Tomoyo begged, she wanted to know whether or not Eriol and she would marry.

Roy grinned and shook his head, "I'm a physic, but I'm sorry, that information is top-secret."

"No fair," Meiling pouted. Tomoyo looked irritated.

"Did you forget about your friends?" Roy asked innocently, but Sakura could see the amusement hidden in his expression.

"RYU! ERIOL!" Both Tomoyo and Meiling gasped in horror, looking at each other, in the excitement they forgot about the boys. The two looked at Sakura, Sakura pointed towards the cliff where the tomb was situated on. The two girls raced towards the cliff. Sakura, left in the dust, wondered: _Were they really injured? _

She snickered and turned to look at Roy, "What's going to happen to Naoras and Matthew?" She asked, nodding at the ring of fire that began to tighten around the center then vanished, leaving an unconscious Matthew and Naoras, knocked out from the toxic fumes.

"I'm going to take Naoras with me to my grandma's house. Naoras apparently has been drenched in the materialistic form black magic back there," He pointed above the trees.

"Was it the disgusting murky black pond?" Sakura interrupted. Roy nodded. She shivered in disgust, remembering the red eyes.

"Matthew also brainwashed him a couple times, I think my grandmother can reverse the effects."

"What about Matthew?"

Roy smiled a wicked gleam in his eyes: "I think the new queen of Avalon Kingdom and Li Kingdom can decide what to do with Matthew herself."

_I think I can, hold on, what?! Queen of Li Kingdom?! _ Sakura's jaw dropped as she stared at Roy.

Roy clasped his hand over his mouth and sheepishly smiled, "Okay, forget I said anything. Why don't you check up on Syaoran while I teleport Naoras to my grandma's place?"

Sakura walked a few paces backwards, then turned, and darted up the cliff to the blown-out wall.

Tomoyo and Meiling were carefully examining the boys. Syaoran was propped against the wall. Sakura clambered over to Syaoran. Syaoran weakly grinned at Sakura, "Guess you're the better fighter after all," He joked.

Sakura smirked and tapped his head with her index finger, "Don't worry, I still love you."

"You love me?" He sounded slightly skeptical.

"I'm not quite sure, but I'm absolutely sure I can love you," she whispered in his ear. Syaoran looked satisfied. He loved Sakura, but it felt too fast to take it to that level yet. It was easy to see that both Syaoran and Sakura were turtles when it came to their feelings seeing that both had a hard time opening up, but their relationship was definitely progressing.

"How are they?" Sakura called to Meiling and Tomoyo.

Meiling almost sobbed in relief, "Ryu's fine!" Sakura and Syaoran both sighed in relief.

"Eriol still won't wake up," Tomoyo bit her lip, nervously and she stared at Eriol's face. She laid Eriol's head in her lap.

A hand reached out, discreetly and suddenly grabbed Tomoyo's wrist. Tomoyo stared at Eriol in disbelief as Eriol slipped a completely diamond-encrusted ring onto Tomoyo's left ring finger. "Marry me?" He whispered, staring in Tomoyo's eyes.

Tomoyo was shell-shocked, dumbstruck. She was mute. "Yes!" She said, tears in her eyes. Eriol mistaken them for tears of joy, imagine his shock when Tomoyo started punching him—lightly, however it was still punching. "What're you doing Tomoyo?" Eriol cried out, shocked.

"How could you propose to me when you're lying there, half-dead? Did you have any idea how worried I was?" She shrieked, still beating Eriol.

Ryu and Meiling sweatdropped, Sakura and Syaoran glanced at each other and shrugged. This was normal Tomoyo behavior, though Eriol looked like he wanted to sob.

"Oi, Sakura!"

Sakura went over to the ledge, and peered down. "What Roy?" She called back.

"Roy as in Roy Houndi?" Ryu asked, looking at Meiling confused, Meiling grinned.

"What do you want done with Matthew?" He shouted.

Sakura smirked and glanced at Meiling and Tomoyo. "So, girls, what do you want done with the biggest idiot that ever graced Desiree with his imaginative evil plans?"

Eriol felt sorry for the poor dude, although it was poorly disguised. "Hey, don't we get a say?" Syaoran and Ryu looked affronted.

Meiling whispered something rapidly in Sakura's ear. Five minutes later, Matthew was shipped off to someplace by Roy.

"You won the fight, where do you want to go now?" Roy asked Sakura, who was sitting at the end of ledge, her legs dangling off the end, and her friends sitting side by side her.

"What ever happened to Renalia and Dermia?"

"They're back at Amber Academy, rebuilding it."

Sakura stood up, "I'd like to go back to Amber please, before my coronation."

Roy glanced at the others, "And, where would you guys like to go?" He inquired Tomoyo, Meiling, Syaoran, Ryu and Eriol.

"We want to go wherever Sakura goes," Syaoran stated. The rest nodded in agreement.

"All right then," Roy nodded at the group, unable to keep a grin from cracking his face.

The six friends, injured and completely bone-weary, later stated at Sakura's coronation that the minute they started heading to Clow City, they realized it wouldn't be easy, but . . . hey, what are friends for?

**I have no idea how to end the chapter, so I just sort of . . . yeah, the ending's bad. Any one has any ideas to revise it so there's more of a bang? Please write it in your review or PM me! Thanks. One more chapter people . . . **


	14. Epilouge

This is it

**This is it. The last chapter. The cherry on top. THE EPILOGUE! Gasp! Sheesh, I thought this day would never come back two years ago. Feedback would be awesome if you could tell me what you thought of the story—please, be brutal, but no biased critics. I will be starting/finishing other stories, but if you spot any grammar/spelling mistakes, or broken flows in Rebel please let me know and I'll fix it right away. **

**I've had a review by ssshine that said that the story went by too quickly. Yeah, I do have a problem with that . . . The real reason why I rewrote the story was because I thought the **_**original **_**was too fast. Argh, I'll never be able to make it go slow enough am I?! It's really sad. ****Weeps. ****But, I'm done with this story. I love it, but I just can't see any more I can add to it, and I really want to start on some other stories. Sorry! **

**Now, on with the story!! **

**Oh, wait. DISCLAIMER: As you should know by now: I'm poor, I don't own any CCS characters, no copyright infringement intended **

**Chapter Fourteen: EPILOGUE**

* * *

**Two Years Later**

Dermia was impatient. Impatient for the line to dwindle and end.

Meiling glanced at her friend and couldn't help but chuckle. "Calm down Dermia! We have all night for the festivities, so stop tapping your feet; we'll get to the party soon enough."

Dermia threw an irritated glare at Meiling, "You're just standing there, but I'm the one who has to cross off invites."

Meiling snickered hopelessly, and looked at the man behind her. Ryu grinned back, his boyish face gleaming at his wife. Dermia and Meiling had both been recruited to help train Syaoran's army as well as Eriol a couple of weeks following Syaoran's coronation, therefore leading to their unusual partnership and friendship.

A tall, burly man with an elegant, petite girl on his arm walked up to Amber Academy's entrance. Meiling and Ryu's eyes widened in shock then in realization at the sight of the strange couple.

"Toshiko Yanamoto and Bella Glen," the bandit smiled at Meiling and Ryu's taken-aback expressions.

"Bells! Hey sis, why didn't you tell me that you were coming to the Winter Ball?" Dermia laughed, hugging the girl.

Meiling hugged the burly rebel and her best friend's sister as well. Toshiko traded high-fives with Ryu.

"Eriol and Sakura requested a favor from us. We can't deny our friends anything!" Bella said, hugging back Dermia.

"Hey, Bella, Toshiko!" Eriol bounded up to the entrance, grinning ear-to-ear: "Sakura wants to talk to you guys, c'mon in," He beckoned towards the rebels and started walking away.

"Oi, Eriol! Can't you save me as well?" Dermia called after them, looking incredibly desperate.

"Sorry, nope!" Eriol's tone made him sound like wasn't sorry at all.

"I'll talk to you later all right Dermia?" Bella asked softly, pulling back from her younger sister's embrace.

Dermia sighed. "Sure, see you later."

Bella smiled and walked behind Toshiko. Toshiko and Eriol were hamming it up like the old buddies they were.

Eriol led the two through a maze of hallways until they reached a door with the number 1600 stamped in gold above. He rapped the door with his knuckles three times, and then withdrew. He walked away.

The two rebels just stood there awkwardly, not exactly sure what to do. Suddenly, the door opened, startling the duo.

"Hey, what's up Toshiko, Bella?" Sakura acknowledged them with a smile.

Bella and Toshiko stared at their former ex-rebel, now queen. Both of them have seen her at different stages, but the woman standing in front of them currently was utterly different from what they've ever seen. Still short, but nymph-like, Sakura's hair was back to its longer length and shining, and her skin less dull. But the most obvious difference in her appearance was her eyes. They were still large emeralds, but they were sparkling in the light, playing havoc and hypnotizing anyone who looked at her eyes.

Sakura noticed their staring. Of course she noticed, as nothing got past her sharp eyes. "Yeah, like the change? Ah, what the wonderful thing called love can do for your appearance," Sakura said sarcastically as she walked back into her former dorm she'd shared with Meiling and Tomoyo. Toshiko and Bella shared smirks.

Of course, her personality was still oh so ever the same, which was a relief. Too many times did Bella see girls fall over them and melt into an insensible, lovey-dovey, goo-goo-eyed mess over boys, and never retained any part of them.

Sakura walked into the room and picked up a bag and handed it over to Toshiko and Bella. "Make it good," she said smirking. "I'm counting on you guys. So is Eriol."

"Oh, don't worry, we will." With a cat-like smiles creepily echoing Eriol's, Toshiko and Bella left the room.

"Do you think Tomoyo would be happy about your surprise?" A black-clad Syaoran asked as he came out of the bathroom where he was hiding.

"I'm damn sure she'll be happy about it. And when have you ever doubted me, my dear husband?" She teased lightly, as she grabbed her daggers and slipped them into her ice blue gown. Syaoran sheathed his sword that was lying on the corner of the bed and slipped it onto his belt. It was very unlikely that something abnormal and terrifying would happen today, but the two royalties have been raised to expect the unexpected.

"Ready?" Syaoran asked, raising an eyebrow. Sakura's habits have managed to rub onto him. Sakura nodded and swung the thick, silver velvet cloak trimmed with pure white faux fur around her back, clinging loosely to her shoulders. The rulers of the two most powerful kingdoms in the world stepped out of the dorm and walked towards the ballroom.

"Where did Bella go?" Dermia peered around the oak-paneled circular ballroom, happy to finally have been relieved of her doorman duties.

Eriol grinned, "She's helping Toshiko fulfill the request Sakura and I asked them to do."

"Then where's Tomoyo?"

"She's making slight alterations to Rika's gown."

Rika Sasaki was a little girl that Tomoyo had taken to when she began teaching sewing classes at Amber Academy when Sakura gave her a break from her lady-in-waiting duties. Rika told Tomoyo that she wanted to wear a very beautiful gown in order to impress her crush, Yoshiyuki Tereda. Tomoyo agreed to help her, finding that the situation was very similar to how she tried to impress Eriol—but, just like the younger soon-to-be-couple, Eriol and her had been much too shy to act upon their feelings.

Renalia walked out of the wings, her son Evan holding her hand, and went up to the dimly-lit stage. "Hello, Academy students, I hope you will have a very pleasant winter break after our annual Winter Ball. However, this year, we will be doing something different and I hope you enjoy it," Renalia's face stretched into a huge grin. "Let's welcome Sakura and Syaoran Li, former students of our Academy."

Cheers rose from throughout the school. Dermia and Eriol added to the applause, lazily clapping.

Sakura and Syaoran walked on the stage in their edgy, regal manner. Sakura smiled, "We will be announcing the winners of this year Winter Ball. There were hundreds of votes to go through, but the winners were picked unanimously. Syaoran, would you like to?" She plucked out two heavy ivory textured envelopes from a hidden pocket in the lining of her cloak. She handed one of them over to Syaoran.

Syaoran ripped it open as fast as possible. He didn't enjoy hundreds of temperamental princes and princesses staring at him as if he was a fortune cookie to be eaten. "Best princes this year is Yoshiyuki Tereda."

A sandy-haired seventeen-year-old blushed as he climbed up the stairs. Syaoran picked up a silver crown adorned with diamonds that was lying on a purple trunk on the stage and placed it on Tereda's head. It balanced wobbily and it skewered with his hair, but Tereda took it in good measure and held onto it while going back down the stairs.

Sakura bit back a grin and Syaoran discreetly winked at her. She ripped her envelope open, also not liking the pressure of the stares. She can handle audiences, what she cannot handle is pressure from audiences on matters that are out of her control. "Best dress this year goes to," she paused taking slight pleasure in the audiences' pain, ". . . Rika Sasaki."

The spotlight landed on a tomato-red, pale-brown-haired Rika as she weaved through the crowd. Eriol smiled at his wife's' handiwork.

The gown itself was a piece of art. The color looked as if it was pressed from buttercups; it flowed to the floor and was delicately pleated, clinging to her body. The draped sweetheart neckline was modest but still very sweetly sexy. The gown was sheer enough to see the cream lace slip underneath; the lace peeked through the hem of the gown. The same cream lace was used to construct fingerless elbow-length gloves, and a delicate platinum necklace hung from her neck. It matched well with her complexion and sapphire eyes.

Rika shyly smiled at Sakura who grinned back encouragingly. She picked up a heavily encrusted with precious stones crown off the trunk and placed it on top of Rika's curls. She leaned in and whispered, "Congrats. Don't be afraid, rebel tradition, and ask him for a dance, you won't regret it." She drew back and winked at the once again blushing Rika. Rika nodded, face flaming, and walked back down the stairs.

"We have a surprise for you," Syaoran spoke to the audience. "So, please walk outside."

"But it's freezing!" Someone yelped from the crowd.

"Don't worry about that, just line up in an orderly fashion and exit." Syaoran ordered bluntly. People frowned, Sakura rolled her eyes.

As people exited the ballroom into the night air, Sakura took out two Sakura cards from her cloak lining. "Firey, Glow," She whispered, feeling the abnormal rush of wind that occurred when the cards glowed.

Little spheres of magical fire formed out of nowhere and a pixie-like creature, glowing green, emerged from the cards as well and giggled as she darted out of the ballroom, the fire spheres bobbed softly as they trailed behind Glow.

Eriol didn't leave from his post next to the ballroom doors, waiting for his wife. Tomoyo hurried into the ballroom, wearing a violet silk ball gown and a white fringed shawl draped on her shoulders. She took one look at the empty ballroom and her face fell. Eriol chuckled softly and kissed Tomoyo lightly, "Don't worry love, the dance is not over. Everyone went outside."

Tomoyo frowned, "Why? It's freezing outside!"

Sakura sat down on the floor of the stage, "Glow, Firey," she said simply.

Tomoyo's face smoothed in realization.

Syaoran jumped down from the stage, and Sakura jumped down after him, wrapping her cloak around her as Syaoran circled his arm around her waist. Eriol and Tomoyo linked hands. The two married couples walked out of the ballroom together.

People were staring in awe at Glow, who was dancing in the cold breeze dimly lighting up the sky, without taking away the mystery of nightfall. If they weren't staring at Glow, they were tentatively touching the fire spheres—they weren't burned, but warmth still radiated off the spheres.

Sakura smiled slightly at the amazing sight bestowed to her as she leaned against the back wall of the resurrected Academy that all previous students helped rebuilt, Syaoran pulling her close to him, not unlike what he did the first time they met.

The pathway to a circle of limestone was clear as well as the circle, and couples in beautiful evening wear danced to a string quartet in the circle or sat down on the benches that lined the circle. Piles of snow blanketed the perfectly trimmed hedges and orchard trees surrounding the circle.

A cracking noise startled several people, causing them to whip their heads around to look at the forest behind the circle. In the distance, fireworks rose from the distance behind the circle, showering the night sky in colorful sparks.

"It's beautiful." Tomoyo's jaw dropped at the splendor of the color against the black night sky.

Sakura laughed lightly at Tomoyo's awe-inspired face. She knew that Tomoyo never—and, she meant never—saw fireworks before due to having no time, and sparks were her number one loathed enemy next to heights, which explains why she never sets any herself.

"Did you do this for me Sakura?" Tomoyo asked Sakura.

Sakura shook her head. "Nope, Eriol was the one who suggested it seeing that you were drop-dead tired from working on and at Amber for the past two years. The Winter Ball seemed like the perfect place to execute it. I just roped Toshiko and Bella—who both owe me—into going out to set them. Meiling and Ryu bought the fireworks."

Eriol offered his hand to Tomoyo. Tomoyo gracefully took it and they lithely blended into the crowd.

"You were right, Tomoyo loves it," Syaoran lowly whispered, amused, to a still Sakura, still leaned against the wall.

She was staring at something. Syaoran was about to ask when Sakura said in an incredulous voice, "Ryu can _dance?_"

Ryu heard her. He led Meiling over to where Syaoran and Sakura were. "I'm hurt Sakura, when did you think I had coordination problems?"

"Um, never . . . but, wow . . ." Sakura trailed off, speechless.

Meiling snickered while her cousin smirked. "Decent dancing was Ryu's biggest foe, but I used powers of persuasion to get him to learn dancing from our dear retired friend, Miss Isaki."

"More like literally pushed me into Isaki's house," Ryu muttered under his breath. Meiling pretended she didn't hear that.

"Syaoran, do you mind if I take a week off work since Dermia invited me to a family dinner with Toshiko and Bella," Meiling asked Syaoran.

Syaoran smiled wryly, "I don't see why not. Can you take Eriol and Tomoyo too, I want to spend some time with Sakura," Meiling opened her mouth, "And don't even think about saying aw," Syaoran threatened.

"I wasn't going to say that!" Meiling said, offended. Syaoran snorted. "I was going to say that was a good arrangement seeing that both Dermia needs a new dress for your fancy evening event in two weeks, so Tomoyo can help her with the sketches. I'm assuming you already have your dress Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Tomoyo is so hyper at times; that she finished my dress in a day."

"And now I don't want to see you guys any more for two weeks, I want to be with Ryu, so see you later," Meiling hugged Sakura and high-fived Syaoran before leaving. Ryu high-fived Sakura and Syaoran, as he was not the hugging type.

"Toshiko and Bella should be running out of fireworks by now," Syaoran said.

"Hey, look its Rika and Tereda," Sakura tilted her head towards the impossibly shy couple.

Both of them were tomato-red, and Rika's head was down as she mumbled, "Will you dance with me?"

Sakura strained to hear Tereda's response. "Sure." It was a soft mumble, but Rika's face looked so happy, in the glow of the fire sphere hanging off Amber Academy's newest couple, that Sakura nearly winced when Rika turned around to mouth a 'thanks' to Sakura.

Around them, they heard the crescendo of music and the string quartet suddenly stopped. A final series of crashes accompanied the last of the fireworks.

"To think that in two years, all of this—nothing expected—could happen because you rebelled," Syaoran chuckled thinking about what changed in his life in three years: tight friendships with rebels, marriage, his wife having the ability to kill him—and him she, Eriol finally getting with Tomoyo, Meiling marrying Ryu, annual summer visits to Clow City, helping Naoras' progress staying with the seer, and so many other otherworldly but interesting experiences.

"And you know what the most expected but unexpected thing I think about the past 3 years?" Sakura asked her husband, her eyebrow raised. Syaoran turned to look at her. "I'm glad I rebelled six years ago," Sakura touched her necklace. Satisfied with what happened in six years. Hurt, yes; Regret, no. Ruler, yes; Rebel, yes. There was nothing to be changed, and she was fine with her history, and her future looked good too.

**THE END**

**Feedback is awesome, and I dearly hoped you enjoyed the story as much fun as I had writing it. :-) **

**Hope to hear from you soon! **

**Destiny **


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